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Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Birth to Kindergarten

K–12 Standards

Creative and Expressive Arts: 3-5 Years
Other Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality sets
Approaches to Play and Learning: 3-5 Years
Communication, Language, and Early Literacy Development: 3-5 Years
Engineering and Technology: 3-5 Years
Mathematics: 3-5 Years
Physical Development and Health: 3-5 Years
Science: 3-5 Years
Social and Emotional Development: 3-5 Years
Social Studies: 3-5 Years

Children develop healthy self-concepts through creative self-expression that draws from their backgrounds, experiences, and identities. 1

a
Explore and experiment with the arts in increasingly creative ways to express themselves, with modifications as needed. 1a
1. 1a.
  3 Years3.1a
  1
  When prompted, describe what they are creating.3.1a.1
  2
  Display their artwork to a familiar adult, and say, “Take a picture for my daddy!”3.1a.2
  3
  Hum the tune of a familiar or invented song. 3.1a.3
2. 1a.
  4 Years4.1a
  1
  Talk with others about the artwork they have made. 4.1a.1
  2
  Follow the directions in a movement song. 4.1a.2
  3
  Respond with matching movements when asked to move like a certain animal (arms out like a bird, hop like a kangaroo, etc.). 4.1a.3
  4
  Draw and combine shapes into more complex figures. 4.1a.4
  5
  Contribute to group storytelling and songwriting. 4.1a.5
  6
  Make up their own dances. 4.1a.6
3. 1a.
  5 Years5.1a
  1
  Invent their own songs – sometimes just music and sometimes also with lyrics. 5.1a.1
  2
  Use fine motor skills to pinch, push, and form playdough into the shape they want. 5.1a.2
b
Explore and experiment with the arts through the lens of their personal cultural context and that of others. 1b
1. 1b.
  3 Years3.1b
  1
  Wear “dress up” clothes that are similar to those commonly worn by their family. 3.1b.1
  2
  Show some preference for dolls that look like themselves. 3.1b.2
2. 1b.
  4 Years4.1b
  1
  Engage in a discussion with other children to decide which favorite foods from home will be served during their pretend meal (collaborative pretend play). 4.1b.1
  2
  Incorporate their home culture into color, texture, and musical choices in their artwork. 4.1b.2
3. 1b.
  5 Years5.1b
  1
  Extend their pretend play with other children by including more themes, detail, and storylines, such as turning a pretend meal into a Thanksgiving, Chinese New Year, or Kwanzaa dinner with cousins, aunts, and uncles. 5.1b.1
c
Explore roles, express thoughts, and feelings, recreate experiences, and act out stories through the arts. 1c
1. 1c.
  3 Years3.1c
  1
  Imitate other people’s conversations and interactions during pretend play, in a similar context to how they heard or experienced the conversation initially. Often, they will recite memorable words and phrases.3.1c.1
  2
  Join in cooperative pretend play with other children, passing dishes around the table during a pretend meal.3.1c.2
2. 1c.
  4 Years4.1c
  1
  Mimic words and phrases commonly used by familiar adults or favorite shows.4.1c.1
  2
  Explain to other children their ideas or plans for play, such as describing the roles they want each person to act out.4.1c.2
3. 1c.
  5 Years5.1c
  1
  Act out familiar stories or characters from books, movies, or television.5.1c.1
  2
  Work with other children to decide on the details of a story to tell in their play, and who will perform each role.5.1c.2

Children develop the skills that support self-expression through a variety of art forms. 2

a
Explore and develop increasing control over fine motor and large motor movements. 2a
1. 2a.
  3 Years3.2a
  1
  Play along with songs like “Hokey Pokey” and “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.”3.2a.1
  2
  Squish and roll playdough into balls and snakes.3.2a.2
  3
  Attempt to mimic a familiar adult’s clapping rhythm.3.2a.3
  4
  Draw straight and curved lines to create pictures.3.2a.4
  5
  Use scissors to cut paper.3.2a.5
2. 2a.
  4 Years4.2a
  1
  Dance to the (approximate) beat of different kinds of music, most of the time.4.2a.1
  2
  Match and repeat a rhythm demonstrated by a familiar adult, such as stomping their feet back and forth (left-right, left-right) four times.4.2a.2
  3
  Draw and combine shapes into more complex figures.4.2a.3
  4
  Use scissors with more precision, cutting along dotted or folded lines, most of the time. 4.2a.4
  5
  Show more control in making intentional marks, such as straight and curved lines.4.2a.5
3. 2a.
  5 Years5.2a
  1
  Imitate a familiar adult’s movements when trying to learn a new dance, most of the time.5.2a.1
  2
  Match the beat of a song when playing an instrument along with music.5.2a.2
  3
  Use fine motor skills to pinch, push, and form playdough into the shape they want.5.2a.3
b
Explore, use, and begin to use artistic vocabulary to describe the tools, mediums, and components of the arts. 2b
1. 2b.
  3 Years3.2b
  1
  Use a towel as a blanket to “tuck in” a doll for bedtime.3.2b.1
  2
  Make “pizza” out of playdough and pretend to eat it during imaginative play.3.2b.2
  3
  Use props like ribbon sticks, scarves, and dolls while dancing to music.3.2b.3
  4
  Make different sounds with their voice (loud/soft, high/low). 3.2b.4
  5
  With support, use tongue depressors to make bunny ears in a ball of playdough.3.2b.5
  6
  Use terms like volume, beat, and shadow to describe art, sometimes.3.2b.6
  7
  Point to a jar of paint or basket of crayons and ask to use them. 3.2b.7
2. 2b.
  4 Years4.2b
  1
  Use terms like collage, rhythm, and watercolor to describe art, sometimes.4.2b.1
  2
  Repeat part of a song they have just heard for the first time.4.2b.2
  3
  Use cookie cutters and rollers to shape playdough.4.2b.3
  4
  Experiment with the angles they can hold a crayon or marker to make different kinds of marks.4.2b.4
  5
  Use whatever materials are on hand (blocks, paint, playdough, manipulatives) to create something new.4.2b.5
  6
  Use tissue paper, construction paper, and glitter glue to make a collage.4.2b.6
3. 2b.
  5 Years5.2b
  1
  Match the beat of a song when playing an instrument along with music.5.2b.1
  2
  Use creative tools with noticeable control as they create artwork with some detail and intentional color choices.5.2b.2
  3
  Use terms like sculpture, sketch, and melody to describe art, sometimes.5.2b.3
  4
  Combine two colors of paint to get the shade they want.5.2b.4
  5
  Experiment with changing the pressure they use on their crayons or colored pencils to make dark and light shades.5.2b.5
c
Plan and create works of art with increasing intentionality and detail.2c
1. 2c.
  3 Years3.2c
  1
  With prompting, express their ideas through the arts.3.2c.1
  2
  Follow along with appropriate body movements during “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.”3.2c.2
  3
  Draw straight and curved lines to create pictures.3.2c.3
2. 2c.
  4 Years4.2c
  1
  With and without prompting, communicate their ideas through the arts.4.2c.1
  2
  When asked, describe their plan for a drawing or painting.4.2c.2
  3
  Create intentional designs in their work.4.2c.3
3. 2c.
  5 Years5.2c
  1
  Ask questions about a prompt to “Draw and write about your day” to clarify if it should only be about school-time or if they can draw their morning routine too. 5.2c.1
  2
  Use a variety of media (paint, text, music, etc.) to express themselves.5.2c.2
  3
  Plan a creation, saying, “I’m going to paint a picture of my cat. She has brown stripes and a white belly.” 5.2c.3
  4
  Add details to their work and revise when necessary.5.2c.4
  5
  Focus on a single work for longer periods of time, such as sessions over 30 minutes, returning later in the day, and/or working over multiple days.5.2c.5

Children develop preferences and appreciation for the arts. 3

a
Explore, recognize, and respond to similarities and differences between works of art, and the emotions, moods, situations, and cultures being expressed. 3a
1. 3a.
  3 Years3.3a
  1
  Point out the differences in color or mood (happy, sad) between two pictures.3.3a.1
  2
  Bang on a drum or pot to make loud noises and show frustration—or delight.3.3a.2
  3
  Explore different musical instruments, such as bells, xylophones, and maracas.3.3a.3
  4
  Tap on a drum, a table, and a cardboard box to hear the different sounds. 3.3a.4
2. 3a.
  4 Years4.3a
  1
  Experiment with a variety of instruments and recognize their differing sounds.4.3a.1
  2
  Experiment with different instruments to match the sounds in a song.4.3a.2
  3
  Sing a silly song and laugh.4.3a.3
  4
  Use drawings (including scribbles) to tell a story or describe a concept (such as showing who is part of their family).4.3a.4
  5
  Draw a picture and describe or dictate to a familiar adult what the picture is showing. 4.3a.5
  6
  Move their body in ways that match the mood of a song.4.3a.6
3. 3a.
  5 Years5.3a
  1
  Compare and identify the differences between a slow song and a fast one, or a quiet song and an upbeat one.5.3a.1
  2
  Move ribbons or scarves in time with the music when dancing to a song that switches from fast to slow, or slow to fast.5.3a.2
  3
  Mimic the sound of a musical instrument with their voice, such as making high-pitched noises to match a triangle, or low thumping sounds to match a drum.5.3a.3
  4
  Create a book of pictures that tell a story.5.3a.4
  5
  Show their thoughts, ideas, and feelings through multiple art forms, such as combining drawing with writing to express an idea or draw or paint symbols on a clay formation. 5.3a.5
  6
  Move and dance to describe their own feelings, or a feeling/ idea from a story.5.3a.6
b
Express preferences within the arts.3b
1. 3b.
  3 Years3.3b
  1
  Tell about their preferences in colors and textures, such as saying that they want to play with the green plastic blocks and not the blue ones.3.3b.1
2. 3b.
  4 Years4.3b
  1
  Tell a friend they like their drawing.4.3b.1
  2
  Request a favorite song repeatedly.4.3b.2
3. 3b.
  5 Years5.3b
  1
  Describe why they like to play with the egg shakers (or another favorite instrument).5.3b.1
  2
  Work with the weaving loom frequently because, “it’s just like my Abuela’s.”5.3b.2

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?: PRE-K and Kindergarten
Where can I read the official document?: Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Birth to Kindergarten

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Early Childhood Standards of Quality

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