This glossary is made to know words about the early childhood education. The glossary is made for helping to understand specific terms related to the job. There are 20 terms in this glossary. I choose some important terms to know to do the job. You could use it in your job.
child development
noun
Child development is the process of growth and change from birth through adolescence, covering physical, cognitive (thinking), language, and social-emotional skills, forming the foundation for a child's future health and well-being. It involves acquiring abilities like walking, talking, problem-solving, and forming relationships, typically progressing through predictable stages called developmental milestones, though each child develops at their own pace.
Example: I have observations about the child development.
en: développement de l'enfant
cognitive development
noun
Cognitive development is the lifelong process of growth in mental capacities, including thinking, reasoning, memory, language, and problem-solving.
Example: The logical games help the cognitive development.
en: développement cognitif
democratic intervention
noun
Democratic intervention in childcare refers to implementing, managing, and delivering early childhood education and care (ECEC) services through participatory, inclusive, and collaborative decision-making processes.
Example: I always do democratic intervention with the children.
en: intervention démocratique
educational approach
noun
An educational approach is a structured philosophy, method, or strategy for teaching and learning that guides how educators deliver content and how students acquire knowledge.
Example: In my daycare, we have a natural educational approach.
en: approche éducative
educational platform
noun
An educational platform (or learning management system) is a digital, web-based environment designed to facilitate, manage, and enhance teaching and learning.
Example: I use the educational platform to guide my educational values with the daycare.
en: plateforme pédagogique
educational process
noun
The educational process is a systematic, ongoing, and dynamic framework designed to facilitate learning, personal growth, and skill acquisition through interrelated stages: planning, implementation (teaching/learning), assessment, and feedback.
Example: I do the educational process when I need to teach a new skill.
en: processus éducatif
educational program
noun
An educational program is a structured, coherent sequence of learning activities, courses, or experiences designed to achieve specific educational goals, competencies, or learning objectives over a sustained period.
Example: Before planning activities, I check the educational program.
en: programme éducatif
educator
noun
A person who provides instruction or education; a teacher.
Example: I am the educator of the four-year-old kids.
en: éducateur
fine motor skills
noun
Fine motor skills are the coordination of small muscles in the hands, fingers, wrists, and sometimes toes, working with the eyes (hand-eye coordination) to perform precise, voluntary movements.
Example: Drawing develops the fine motor skills.
en: motricité fine
free play
noun
Free play is unstructured, child-directed activity where kids choose what, how, and with whom they play, fostering imagination, problem-solving, and crucial developmental skills without adult rules or goals, often involving make-believe, building, or exploring freely.
Example: Every morning I let the children in free play.
en: jeu libre
gross motor skills
noun
Gross motor skills are the physical abilities that involve using large, core-stabilizing muscles in the arms, legs, and torso to perform broad, whole-body movements.
Example: Running and jumping develop the gross motor skills.
en: motricité globale
infant
noun
A very young child or baby between 0-12 months.
Example: The infant needs some milk.
en: nourrisson
language development
noun
Language development is the lifelong process of learning to understand and use communication, encompassing listening, speaking, reading, and writing, from early babbling to complex conversations, involving sounds (phonology), words (semantics), grammar (syntax), and social rules (pragmatics), essential for thinking, learning, and building relationships.
Example: Reading books help the language development.
en: développement du langage
preschooler
noun
A child between 3-5 years old.
Example: The preschooler learns the name of letters.
en: enfant d'âge préscolaire
routine
noun
In childcare, a routine is a predictable, consistent, and repeated sequence of daily tasks and activities—such as arrival, meals, naps, and cleanup—that help children feel secure, develop self-regulation, and understand the flow of the day.
Example: I always to the same routine at lunchtime.
en: routine
social-emotional skills
noun
Social-emotional skills are abilities that help people understand and manage emotions, set positive goals, feel empathy for others, build healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Example: I teach conflict resolution to develop the social-emotional skills.
en: compétences socio-émotionnelles
symbolic play
noun
Symbolic play, also known as pretend or imaginative play, is a developmental milestone where children (typically aged 18–30 months and older) use objects, actions, or ideas to represent other things, such as treating a cardboard box as a rocket ship or a stick as a magic wand.
Example: This child does symbolic play with this rock.
en: jeu symbolique
teaching materials
noun
Teaching materials, also known as instructional materials or teaching/learning materials (TLM), are any resources—including digital, physical, and human—that educators use to facilitate learning, enhance comprehension, and achieve educational objectives.
Example: I use the teaching materials when I need to help a child.
en: documentation pédagogique
toddler
noun
A child between 1-3 years old.
Example: The toddler starts to use a lot of words.
en: enfant en bas âge
zone of proximal development
noun
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the range of tasks a learner cannot yet perform independently but can accomplish with guidance from a "more knowledgeable other".
Example: Walking is in the zone of proximal development of this baby.