UPMSP Nursery Teacher Training & Child Care cheat sheet

Growth = quantitative increase in body size (height, weight, head circumference); development = qualitative change in function and skill. Growth stops at maturity; development is lifelong.

Domains of development: physical/motor, cognitive, language, social-emotional, moral. Domains are interdependent - delay in one typically affects others.

Cephalocaudal principle: control develops head-to-foot (head lifting before sitting, sitting before walking). Proximodistal principle: trunk and proximal muscles mature before fingers and distal skills.

Milestone anchors: social smile 6-8 weeks; head control 3 months; sits unsupported 6-8 months; pincer grasp 9-12 months; walks alone 12-15 months; 2-word phrases ~18-24 months; 50 words ~18 months.

Piaget's stages: sensorimotor (0-2, object permanence emerges ~8-9 months), preoperational (2-7, egocentrism, symbolic play), concrete operational (7-11), formal operational (11+).

Erikson's early stages: trust vs mistrust (0-1), autonomy vs shame/doubt (1-3), initiative vs guilt (3-6). Nursery years centre on autonomy and initiative.

Key theorists: Bowlby (attachment, critical period), Vygotsky (ZPD, scaffolding, social learning), Bronfenbrenner (ecological systems), Kohlberg (moral reasoning stages).

Heredity sets a reaction range; environment determines where within that range a child develops. Nature and nurture interact rather than compete.

Founders: Froebel (kindergarten, 'gifts' and 'occupations', play as child's work), Montessori (prepared environment, auto-education, didactic materials, sensitive periods), Dewey (learning by doing), Pestalozzi (object lessons, child-centredness).

Core principles: child-centredness, play-based learning, learning by doing, individual pace, freedom with limits, holistic development, home-school partnership.

Montessori's sensitive periods: order (0-3), language (0-6), movement, refinement of senses, small objects - the environment is designed to match these windows.

Froebel's gifts are sequenced manipulatives (yarn balls, wooden spheres/cubes/cylinders, tablets, sticks); occupations include folding, weaving, clay, drawing.

Nursery day structure: free play, group/circle time, structured activity, outdoor play, meals/snacks, rest, routine transitions. Routine itself is a curriculum element (security, self-regulation).

Teacher role shifts: Froebelian 'gardener' facilitating natural unfolding; Montessori directress observing and presenting material; Deweyan facilitator of inquiry.

Teacher-child ratio, group size, and safety supervision are practice standards; low ratio is linked to better process quality and individual attention.

Assessment in nursery is observational (anecdotal records, running records, checklists, portfolios), not formal testing; findings inform planning.

Types of care: centre-based crèche/day-care, home/family day care, foster care, institutional care. Quality markers: trained staff, ratio, safety, stimulation, continuity of caregiver.

Daily routine components: feeding, toileting, sleep/rest, hygiene, play, outdoor time, health checks. Predictable routines support attachment and self-regulation.

Safety rules: never leave a child unattended on a raised surface; water play supervised within arm's reach; small objects (> choke hazard) removed for under-3s; medicines locked and logged.

Toilet training readiness: dry for ~2 hours, discomfort with soiled nappy, interest in toilet, can follow simple directions - usually 18-30 months; avoid coercion.

Separation anxiety peaks ~8-18 months and again at nursery entry; gradual settling, transitional objects, and consistent goodbye routines reduce distress.

Child protection: recognise physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect indicators; staff must report to designated safeguarding officer per policy, not investigate themselves.

Caregiver continuity and responsive, sensitive caregiving build secure attachment, which predicts later social competence and emotional regulation.

First aid essentials: choking (back blows/abdominal thrusts per age), burns (cool running water 20 min), febrile convulsion (protect from injury, do not restrain, seek help).

Macronutrients: carbohydrates and fats are energy sources; protein builds tissue. Preschool energy needs are high relative to body size because growth rate is rapid.

Key micronutrients: iron (deficiency causes anaemia and poor attention), calcium and vitamin D (bone growth), iodine (cognition), vitamin A (vision/immunity), zinc (growth).

Balanced plate for young children: variety across food groups, small frequent meals plus snacks, limited sugar/salt, adequate water; avoid choking-risk foods (whole nuts, hard raw carrot for under-3s).

Growth monitoring: weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height and MUAC screen undernutrition; plotted on growth charts; faltering growth triggers referral.

Immunisation schedule follows national guidelines; keep an immunisation record. Common childhood illnesses: diarrhoea (ORS + zinc, continue feeding), ARI, measles, chickenpox.

Personal hygiene teaching: handwashing before eating and after toileting, dental care twice daily, nail and hair care, safe drinking water and food hygiene.

Sleep needs: ~11-14 hours per 24 h for 1-2 years, ~10-13 hours for 3-5 years, including naps; consistent bedtime routine improves sleep quality.

Signs requiring urgent referral: high fever with lethargy, persistent vomiting, dehydration signs, breathing difficulty, convulsions, unresponsiveness.

Curriculum areas in ECE: physical/motor, language and literacy, early numeracy/cognition, creative arts, social-emotional, health and hygiene, environmental awareness.

Lesson plan format: theme/topic, objectives (observable verbs), materials, introduction (motivation), development (activity steps), conclusion/recap, evaluation, home link.

Activity selection criteria: age-appropriate, developmentally sequenced (simple to complex), safe, low-cost/local materials, integrated across domains, allows active participation.

Thematic/integrated approach: one theme (e.g., 'Farm animals') is threaded through language, counting, art, music, and outdoor play over days or a week.

Time allocation for 3-5 year olds: short focused activities (10-20 min), balance of free and structured, generous outdoor and free-play time; attention span is short.

Objectives should be behavioural and measurable ('child sorts 3 shapes'), not vague ('child understands shapes'); evaluation checks whether objectives were met.

Activity types: circle time, storytelling, rhymes, sand/water play, blocks, puzzles, role play, art, music and movement, nature walk, cooking without heat.

Planning documents: long-term (annual), medium-term (term/theme web), short-term (weekly/daily plan); plans are flexible and revised based on observation.

Sequence: cooing (2-3 months) → babbling (6 months) → one-word/holophrase (12 months) → telegraphic 2-word speech (18-24 months) → 3+ word sentences and grammar (3-5 years).

Receptive language precedes expressive language; a child typically understands more words than they can say.

Emergent literacy components: oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, and motivation to read/write.

Phonological awareness progression: word awareness → syllable awareness → rhyme → alliteration → onset-rime → phoneme awareness (hardest, later).

Stages of writing: scribbling → mock letters/letter-like forms → strings of letters → invented spelling → conventional spelling. Do not correct invented spelling harshly.

Strategies: dialogic reading (ask, expand, repeat), shared reading with print pointing, nursery rhymes, songs, storytelling with props, labelling the environment, conversation.

Bilingual/multilingual children: home language maintenance supports, not hinders, second-language learning; use gestures, visuals, and repetition.

Red flags: no babbling by 9 months, no words by 16-18 months, no 2-word phrases by 24 months, loss of skills - refer for hearing and speech assessment.

Number development: pre-number concepts (matching, sorting, comparing, ordering, one-to-one correspondence) precede counting and numeral recognition.

Counting principles (Gelman & Gallistel): one-to-one, stable order, cardinality, abstraction, order irrelevance. Cardinality - the last number names the total - is often the last to develop.

Subitising: instant recognition of small quantities (1-3, later 4-5) without counting; supports later arithmetic fluency.

Shape and space: recognise and name circle, square, triangle, rectangle; describe position (above, below, behind, next to); explore symmetry and patterns.

Measurement concepts: compare length, weight, capacity and time informally (longer/shorter, heavier/lighter, full/empty, before/after) before standard units.

Pattern and classification: copy, continue and create AB, AAB, ABB patterns; sort by one attribute, then two attributes.

Cognitive processes: attention, memory, perception, problem solving, concept formation. Piaget: preoperational children are egocentric, animistic, and lack conservation.

Teaching through concrete → pictorial → abstract; use manipulatives (counters, blocks, beads), games, songs, and everyday routines (snack counting, tidying by colour).

Play types (Parten): solitary, onlooker, parallel, associative, cooperative - cooperative play typically emerges around 4-5 years.

Cognitive play types (Smilansky): functional, constructive, dramatic/symbolic, games with rules. Dramatic play supports language, self-regulation, and social understanding.

Play is intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, process-oriented, and non-literal; it is the primary vehicle for early learning, not a reward for finishing work.

Creativity stages: exploration → manipulation → experimentation → expression. Open-ended materials (clay, paint, blocks, sand, scrap) foster more creativity than single-outcome crafts.

Art development stages: scribbling (2-4), preschematic (4-7), schematic (7-9); avoid imposing adult models that produce stereotyped 'copy' art.

Aesthetic development: sensory awareness (colour, texture, sound, rhythm), appreciation of beauty in nature and environment, and expression through art, music, dance, and drama.

Teacher role in play: provision of time, space, and props; observation; scaffolding when invited; avoid dominating or hijacking play.

Music and movement: beat, rhythm, tempo, loud/soft, fast/slow; action songs and free movement build coordination, listening, and expression.

Guidance vs discipline: guidance is positive, proactive direction that teaches self-regulation; punishment is reactive and focuses on the misdeed, not the skill.

Behaviour is communication: identify the function (attention, escape, tangible, sensory) before choosing a response.

Positive guidance techniques: clear limits stated positively, choices between acceptable options, modelling, praise for effort, redirection, natural and logical consequences, ignoring minor attention-seeking.

Avoid: physical punishment, shaming, sarcasm, threats, and inconsistent responses - they model aggression and damage attachment.

Temperament types (Thomas & Chess): easy, difficult, slow-to-warm-up; goodness-of-fit between temperament and environment predicts adjustment.

Attachment styles (Ainsworth): secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent/resistant, disorganized. Secure attachment follows consistent, sensitive caregiving.

Emotional development: recognising and naming feelings, empathy, self-regulation, delayed gratification. Emotional vocabulary is taught explicitly.

Common concerns: thumb-sucking, nail-biting, bed-wetting, aggression, shyness, tantrums - many are developmental and resolve with consistent, calm responses.

Records to maintain: admission register, attendance register, cumulative record card, health/immunisation record, observation portfolio, staff records, stock and accounts.

Staffing: trained teacher, helper/ayah, cook, cleaner; defined roles, supervision duties, and a named safeguarding lead.

Physical environment: safe flooring, child-height furniture, natural light and ventilation, fenced outdoor area, safe storage of chemicals and medicines, fire extinguisher and first aid box.

Licensing/registration requires compliance with space per child, staff-child ratio, sanitation, safe water, and record-keeping standards set by the local authority.

Financial administration: fee register, receipts, budget for supplies and maintenance, transparent accounts, periodic audit.

Parent/community relations: parent meetings, orientation, open days, newsletters, parent helpers, home visits, and a parent-teacher association.

Community linkages: health centre/ANM for immunisation and growth monitoring, anganwadi/ICDS, local library, police, and child helpline services.

Communication tools: notice boards, circulars, daily diaries, phone/messaging groups, and scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

Learning theories: behaviourism (Skinner - reinforcement shapes behaviour), cognitivism (Piaget - schema construction), social constructivism (Vygotsky - ZPD and scaffolding), humanism (Maslow - needs hierarchy before learning).

Motivation: intrinsic (curiosity, mastery) is more durable than extrinsic (stickers, prizes); overuse of rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation.

Individual differences: learning styles claims are weak evidence; adapt instead to actual observed needs, pace, and prior knowledge.

Inclusive education means the setting adapts to the child, not the child to the setting: curriculum, materials, communication, and physical access are modified.

Common categories: sensory (hearing/vision), physical/motor, intellectual disability, learning disability, autism spectrum, ADHD, speech-language delay, emotional/behavioural difficulties.

Universal design for learning: multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement; predictable routines and visual supports help all children.

Early identification: screen with developmental checklists, observe, document, discuss with parents, refer to specialists; early intervention improves outcomes.

Collaboration: parents, special educators, therapists (speech, occupational, physio), and health workers share goals through an individual education plan (IEP).