Early Learning Glossary

A Collection Of Posts Explaining Over 230 early learning terms, phrases, People, and More

This early learning glossary provides caregivers and early learning advocates with definitions of terms and phrases used in the profession, as well as information on important people in the field and links to related resources.

This is a work in progress. We’re eager for user input about suggested tweaks to existing entries, entries to add, and everything else related to this corner of Playvolution HQ.

A
Adaptive Domain

Adaptive Domain

Agency

Agency

Auditory System

Auditory System

Auditory Discrimination

Auditory Discrimination

Automaticity

Automaticity

Authority Bias 

Authority Bias 

Attribution Bias

Attribution Bias

Attentional Bias

Attentional Bias

Axon

Axon

Attachment

Attachment

Assessment

Assessment

Amygdala

Amygdala

Adult-Child Ratio

Adult-Child Ratio

Action Research

Action Research

Acetylcholine

Acetylcholine

Accreditation

Accreditation

Associative Play

Associative Play

Alison Gopnik

Alison Gopnik

Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn

Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow

B
Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy

beginner's mind

Beginner’s Mind

Board Books

Board Books

Bandwagon Effect

Bandwagon Effect

Bias

Bias

Bob Hughes

Bob Hughes

Brian Cambourne

Brian Cambourne

bev bos

Bev Bos

B. F. Skinner

B. F. Skinner

C
Communicative Domain

Communicative Domain

Cognitive Domain

Cognitive Domain

Connecting Schema

Connecting Schema

Containerized Kids

Containerized Kids

Concentration Tongue

Concentration Tongue

Child Directed Speech

Child Directed Speech

Continuity Of Care

Continuity Of Care

Cooperative Play

Cooperative Play

Challenge Success

Challenge Success

Child Care Answers

Child Care Answers

Child Care

Child Care

Craptivity

Craptivity

Courtesy Bias

Courtesy Bias

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias

Cortisol

Cortisol

Cerebral Cortex

Cerebral Cortex

Colwyn Trevarthen

Colwyn Trevarthen

Carol Dweck

Carol Dweck

D
Developmental Domains

Developmental Domains

Danger

Danger

Drop-In Child Care

Drop-In Child Care

Declarative Memory

Declarative Memory

Dopamine

Dopamine

Dendrite

Dendrite

Death Play

Death Play

David Elkind

David Elkind

E
Embedded Patterns

Embedded Patterns

Enclosing Schema

Enclosing Schema

Enveloping Schema

Enveloping Schema

Executive Function

Executive Function

Expressive Language

Expressive Language

Environmental Print

Environmental Print

Early Head Start

Early Head Start

Educrat

Educrat

Explicit Memory

Explicit Memory

Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson

Emmi Pikler

Emmi Pikler

F
Familiarity Bias

Familiarity Bias

FairTest

FairTest

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

Free Play

Free Play

Friedrich Froebel

Friedrich Froebel

G
Gustatory System

Gustatory System

Going Through Schema

Going Through Schema

Gray Matter

Gray Matter

Glirpies

Glirpies

Glutamate

Glutamate

H
Hippocampus

Hippocampus

Heuristic Play

Heuristic Play

Humor Effect

Humor Effect

Halo Effect

Halo Effect

Hebb’s Law

Hebb’s Law

Hazard

Hazard

Heavy Work

Heavy Work

Head Start

Head Start

Hindsight Bias

Hindsight Bias

Howard Gardner

Howard Gardner

Horse Play

Horse Play

Harry Harlow

Harry Harlow

J
John Holt

John Holt

John Medina

John Medina

John Dewey

John Dewey

K
Ken Robinson

Ken Robinson

L
Licensed Capacity

Licensed Capacity

Limbic System

Limbic System

Language Rich Environment

Language Rich Environment

Locus Of Control

Locus Of Control

Lizard Brain

Lizard Brain

Loose Parts Play

Loose Parts Play

Licensed Child Care

Licensed Child Care

Loris Malaguzzi

Loris Malaguzzi

M
Market Rate

Market Rate

Magda Gerber

Magda Gerber

Myelination

Myelination

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Mihály Csíkszentmihályi

Maslow's Hammer

Maslow’s Hammer

Motor Cortex

Motor Cortex

Mere-Exposure Effect

Mere-Exposure Effect

Muscle Memory

Muscle Memory

Military Child Care

Military Child Care

Musical Intelligence

Musical Intelligence

O
Observation

Observation

Olfactory System

Olfactory System

Onlooker Play

Onlooker Play

Orientation Schema

Orientation Schema

Object Play

Object Play

On Tilts

On Tilt

Olfaction

Olfaction

On-Site Child Care

On-Site Child Care

P
Pedagogy

Pedagogy

Physical Domain

Physical Domain

Proprioceptive System

Proprioceptive System

Print-Rich Environment

Print-Rich Environment

Professional Development

Professional Development

Positioning Schema

Positioning Schema

Patina Of Play

Patina Of Play

Play Therapy

Play Therapy

Parallel Play

Parallel Play

Pikler Lóczy USA

Pikler Lóczy USA

Popup Adventure Play

Popup Adventure Play

Power Play

Power Play

Plangry

Plangry

Plop

Plop

Piniculum

Piniculum

Procedural Memory

Procedural Memory

Part-Year Child Care

Part-Year Child Care

Part-Time Child Care

Part-Time Child Care

Play Face

Play Face

R
Respite Child Care

Respite Child Care

Risky Play

Risky Play

Rough And Tumble Play

Rough And Tumble Play

Rotation Schema

Rotation Schema

Resilience

Resilience

Receptive Language

Receptive Language

Reactance

Reactance

Risk

Risk

Regulated Child Care

Regulated Child Care

S
Schema Clusters

Schema Clusters

Scientific Method

Scientific Method

Short-Term Memory

Short-Term Memory

Sensory Memory

Sensory Memory

STEM

STEM

Subsidized Child Care

Subsidized Child Care

Solitary Play

Solitary Play

Schema Play Theory

Schema Play Theory

Scattering Schema

Scattering Schema

Sociogram

Sociogram

Synaptic Pruning

Synaptic Pruning

Social Play

Social Play

Sensitive Periods

Sensitive Periods

Self-Regulation

Self-Regulation

Small World Play

Small World Play

Superhero Play

Superhero Play

Serotonin

Serotonin

Sensory Play

Sensory Play

Sensory Integration

Sensory Integration

Synapse

Synapse

Sick Child Care

Sick Child Care

Spatial Intelligence

Spatial Intelligence

Simon Nicholson

Simon Nicholson

T
Transforming Schema

Transforming Schema

Technology

Technology

Tactile System

Tactile System

Tinkering

Tinkering

Tarry Time

Tarry Time

Theory Of Mind

Theory Of Mind

Trajectory Schema

Trajectory Schema

Transporting Schema

Transporting Schema

Tactile Discrimination

Tactile Discrimination

That Kid

That Kid

U
Unoccupied Play

Unoccupied Play

Unschooling

Unschooling

US Play Coalition

US Play Coalition

V
Vestibular System

Vestibular System

Visual System

Visual System

Visual Cortex

Visual Cortex

Visual Discrimination

Visual Discrimination

W
White Matter

White Matter

Workshits

Workshits

Water Play

Water Play

Working Memory

Working Memory

Z
Zero-Risk Bias

Zero-Risk Bias

Zero To Three

Zero To Three

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