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K–12 Standards

Area 4: Social Development and Social Studies

Other Iowa Early Learning Standards sets

Demonstrates connections to family and community4.1

  •  

    Birth-12 months

    1. A

      Shows awareness of familiar routines through responsive behaviors4.1.A

    2. B

      Expresses contentment being in a familiar setting or group4.1.B

    3. C

      Uses familiar adults to establish safety during exploration4.1.C

  •  

    Approximately 12-24 months

    1. D

      Explores and plays freely within familiar settings4.1.D

    2. E

      Participates in familiar routines4.1.E

  •  

    Approximately 24-36 months

    1. F

      Shows responsibility as a member of a family or community:4.1.F

      1. a

        Helps with preparation routines4.1.F.a

      2. b

        Participates in clean up routines4.1.F.b

    2. G

      Recognizes their family as an important group to which they belong: 4.1.G

      1. a

        Communicates information about family routines4.1.G.a

      2. b

        Identifies own family in pictures4.1.G.b

  •  

    Approximately 3-4 years

    1. H

      Follows familiar routines and group expectations with support4.1.H

    2. I

      Explains how communities are composed of groups of people who live, play or work together4.1.I

    3. J

      Identifies communities to which they belong:4.1.J

      1. a

        Families other than their own4.1.J.a

      2. b

        Community connections4.1.J.b

    4. K

      Recognizes the roles of community helpers 4.1.K

    5. L

      Understands how people work together to help others4.1.L

    6. M

      Begins to notice and respect similarities and differences in family traditions, languages and backgrounds within their community4.1.M

  •  

    Approximately 4-5 years

    1. N

      Begins to express own thoughts and opinions with confidence while listening to and respecting the thoughts and opinions of others:4.1.N

      1. a

        Demonstrates preferences and choices4.1.N.a

      2. b

        Displays empathy and understanding that others have input and opinions4.1.N.b

      3. c

        Begins to identify ways of making choices with others4.1.N.c

      4. d

        Demonstrates understanding of an outcome of a discussion4.1.N.d

    2. O

      Demonstrates an initial awareness of the concepts of fairness and responsibility toward family and community4.1.O

    3. P

      Recognize the reasons for rules in the home and early childhood environment and for laws in the community4.1.P

Demonstrates awareness of how people relate to the environment in which they live4.2

  •  

    Birth-12 months

    1. A

      Shows interest and curiosity within familiar and unfamiliar settings 4.2.A

    2. B

      Explores and plays with familiar and new objects using all five senses4.2.B

    3. C

      Learns about the environment through meaningful exploration: 4.2.C

      1. a

        Manipulates their surroundings4.2.C.a

      2. b

        Touches different objects in the environment4.2.C.b

      3. c

        Observes movement4.2.C.c

    4. D

      Moves toward a favorite object4.2.D

  •  

    Approximately 12-24 months

    1. E

      Chooses and participates in familiar and unfamiliar experiences with adult support4.2.E

    2. F

      Learns about the environment through meaningful exploration: 4.2.F

      1. a

        Points out objects in the environment 4.2.F.a

      2. b

        Interacts with living things4.2.F.b

      3. c

        Plays alongside other children in nature-rich settings4.2.F.c

    3. G

      Seeks an object when instructed where to find it 4.2.G

  •  

    Approximately 24-36 months

    1. H

      Chooses, initiates and participates in familiar and new experiences by exploring4.2.H

    2. I

      Learns about the environment through meaningful exploration:4.2.I

      1. a

        Pretends with props or other environmental objects 4.2.I.a

      2. b

        Interacts with peers in a nature-rich setting4.2.I.b

    3. J

      Begins to identify and use location vocabulary to describe places and physical features in the environment 4.2.J

  •  

    Approximately 3-4 years

    1. K

      Interacts with the world in less familiar settings4.2.K

    2. L

      Recognizes people share the environment with other people, animals and plants4.2.L

    3. M

      Demonstrates how people care for the environment through activities and experiences4.2.M

    4. N

      Explains where something is using specific words4.2.N

  •  

    Approximately 4-5 years

    1. O

      Identifies features of the environment and people4.2.O

    2. P

      Recognizes a variety of jobs and how they impact the environment4.2.P

    3. Q

      Describes where something is using detailed vocabulary4.2.Q

Demonstrates an awareness of past events and how those events relate to one’s self, family and community4.3

  •  

    Birth-12 months

    1. A

      Begins a rudimentary understanding of time sequences:4.3.A

      1. a

        Before4.3.A.a

      2. b

        After4.3.A.b

    2. B

      Demonstrates awareness and anticipation of familiar care and play routines 4.3.B

    3. C

      Develops own routine 4.3.C

  •  

    Approximately 12-24 months

    1. D

      Recognizes familiar routines4.3.D

    2. E

      Acknowledges changes in the environment4.3.E

    3. F

      Focuses on understanding self and others in relation to family and community 4.3.F

    4. G

      Begins to anticipate daily routines helping to build a foundational understanding of sequence and time4.3.G

  •  

    Approximately 24-36 months

    1. H

      Begins using temporal words like "yesterday" and "tomorrow" though they often use them incorrectly to represent any past or future event 4.3.H

    2. I

      Develops an awareness of time and routine concepts within their daily life4.3.I

    3. J

      Begins to recognize daily events follow a pattern4.3.J

  •  

    Approximately 3-4 years

    1. K

      Differentiates between past, present and future4.3.K

    2. L

      Represents events and experiences that occurred in the past through words, play and art4.3.L

    3. M

      Begins to anticipate routines and time concepts within their daily life4.3.M

    4. N

      Uses language to describe time of day4.3.N

  •  

    Approximately 4-5 years

    1. O

      Constructs meaning of the world through past events4.3.O

    2. P

      Explains how past events relate to oneself, family and community4.3.P

    3. Q

      Sequences familiar events by describing events and answering simple questions about time4.3.Q

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
PRE-K
Where can I read the official document?
IOWA EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS 4th Edition June 2026

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