## North Carolina Early Learning and Development Progressions: Birth to Five

#### Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Cognitive Development (CD)

#### Subdomain: Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning

#### Goal: Children use their senses to construct knowledge about the world around them

#### Skill Progression: Constructs knowledge

#### Age: 21-24 Months

Click here to go to all skills for ages 21-24 Months.

### Uses tools to solve a problem (a fork to stab a bite, a hammer to pound, sifter, funnel)

Situations for Observation of Skill

Observe the child using a tool such as a fork or spoon, a toy hammer, a funnel to fill a bottle.

Elicitation Strategy

Provide the tools. If the child does not spontaneously use the tool, demonstrate its use. See if the child understands and imitates the actions.

Behavior Observed

The child uses the tool to achieve a goal (whether it is for the intended use or something creative).

Routines-based Intervention (Embedded Instruction)

Encourage early childhood educators and parents to let children figure out problems by using tools: a stool to get an object; a vacuum to clean; a sponge to wash dishes, etc. Tool use teaches children problem solving.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015

©2015 by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.