Skill
Cooperates With Adults
Child uses polite social behavior and follows adult guidance.
Ages 36–60 months
Why it matters
Prosocial, cooperative behavior with adults — greeting, attending, following reasonable guidelines — lets a preschooler take part in group routines and builds the mutual respect that classroom and family life depend on.
Builds toward this milestone
- engages in prosocial and cooperative behavior with adults. — Head Start ELOF
What mastery looks like
- Uses prosocial greetings and respectful words with adults, such as "hello" and "thank you".
- Attends to an adult and follows familiar guidelines and directions without significant prompting.
- Asks or waits for adult permission before acting when unsure.
How to observe it
- Does the child greet and respond to adults with respectful language?
- When given a direction, can the child attend and follow it with little prompting?
- When unsure, does the child check with an adult before going ahead?
Accessibility
- Pair spoken directions with a picture schedule or gesture so expectations are clear.
- Give extra processing time and one step at a time for children who need it.
Activities
Learn first
Evidence
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) — U.S. Office of Head Start · 2015 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Early Atlas