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Physical Development in New Jersey’s NJ ELS Framework

How New Jersey defines physical development, motor skills, and self-care for young children — and how Experience Curriculum helps your program meet every standard indicator.

NJ ELS-alignedNAEYC & Head Start aligned

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Understanding the standard

What New Jersey’s NJ ELS says about physical development, motor skills, and self-care

New Jersey’s early learning framework, the New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards + Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards, is the official standards document used by licensed childcare and development programs across the state. Administered by the New Jersey Department of Education, the NJ ELS defines what healthy development looks like for children from birth through kindergarten entry — and physical development, motor skills, and self-care is a core domain of that framework.

The NJ ELS addresses physical development, motor skills, and self-care through a set of standards and indicators that capture children’s developmental progress from infancy through kindergarten entry. These indicators are organized to help educators observe, document, and support children’s growth in physical development, motor skills, and self-care through intentional, play-based curriculum experiences.

New Jersey requires licensed childcare programs to use a curriculum aligned to the NJ ELS and to document children’s developmental progress across all domains. This documentation informs individualized curriculum planning and is evaluated as part of the New Jersey’s Grow NJ Kids quality rating system.

Why it matters

Physical development in early childhood is not just about fitness — it is foundational to brain development, self-regulation, and school readiness. Research consistently shows that children who develop strong gross motor skills in early childhood demonstrate better self-regulation, attention, and executive function. Fine motor skills, particularly hand strength and pencil grip, are direct predictors of early writing success.

Domain areas address physical development including gross motor, fine motor, and self-care

Birth–5

Age range covered by physical development standards

Skills tracked in the Experience Assessment across all domains

Developmental milestones

Physical Development milestones by age group

Understanding where children are developmentally helps educators plan meaningful activities and document progress accurately. These milestones align with New Jersey’s NJ ELS indicators and nationally recognized frameworks including NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice and the CDC’s Milestone Moments.

Age group	Key NJ ELS milestones	What educators can do
Infants Birth–18 months	Rolling, sitting, pulling to stand, beginning to walk; reaching, grasping, and transferring objects; beginning self-feeding; sensory-motor exploration	Tummy time daily; varied textures and objects for manipulation; support self-feeding attempts; describe movements and body parts during care routines
Toddlers 18–36 months	Running, climbing, jumping; increasing balance and coordination; stacking blocks; beginning utensil use; scribbling; beginning dressing and undressing skills	Active movement breaks; climbing structures; art materials for fine motor development; opportunities for assisted self-care; simple obstacle courses
Preschool 3–5 years	Hopping, skipping, galloping; catching and throwing; scissor use; drawing recognizable shapes and figures; dressing independently; controlled pencil and brush grip	Daily outdoor active play; fine motor stations (cutting, beading, playdough); yoga and movement activities; opportunities for complete self-care routines; writing tools at learning centers

Curriculum alignment

How Experience Curriculum supports New Jersey’s NJ ELS Physical Development standards

Experience Curriculum builds physical development, motor skills, and self-care into every monthly theme through intentional, play-based activities aligned to the NJ ELS. Rather than treating physical development, motor skills, and self-care as a separate subject, the curriculum embeds relevant skills into daily activities across every age band — so children are developing across all NJ ELS indicators throughout the day.

Every Experience Curriculum kit ships with a verified alignment to state early learning standards. The downloadable Experience Curriculum Alignment PDF maps each curriculum activity and skill to the specific standard indicator and developmental level it targets — saving teachers significant documentation time.

Physical Development skills covered

Gross motor coordination and locomotion
Balance and body control
Fine motor precision and hand strength
Hand-eye coordination and tool use
Scissors, brushes, and writing implement control
Self-care and personal care routines

How it’s delivered

Monthly kits with movement games and action songs
Fine motor manipulatives and art invitations in every kit
Outdoor learning activities and nature explorations
Yoga cards and body awareness activities
Brightwheel digital documentation tied to state physical development indicators
Family movement take-homes for active play at home

Research basis

Experience Curriculum’s approach to physical development, motor skills, and self-care is grounded in peer-reviewed early childhood research and aligns to NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice guidelines and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. An independent psychometric evaluation found the linked Experience Assessment exceeds standards for validity and reliability across all eight developmental domains.

Skills spotlight

Key physical development, motor skills, and self-care skills in the Experience Curriculum framework

Experience Curriculum’s 35-skill framework maps directly to state standard domains. Here are four skills that feature prominently in every age-band kit and align directly to New Jersey’s NJ ELS indicators.

Gross Motor

Large-muscle strength, coordination, balance, and locomotor skills. Developed through daily active play, movement games, obstacle courses, and theme-based physical activities.

Fine Motor

Small-muscle precision and hand-eye coordination. Built through art invitations, playdough, sensory bins, cutting activities, and manipulative play embedded in every kit.

Body Awareness

Understanding the body’s position in space, body part identification, and movement capabilities. Developed through yoga, movement songs, dance, and structured physical play.

Self-Care

Independence in feeding, dressing, hygiene, and personal care routines. Supported through consistent routines, child-sized tools, and graduated scaffolding from adults.

Implementation guidance

Practical tips for embedding physical development, motor skills, and self-care into your New Jersey program

1. Prioritize outdoor active play daily

Physical development standards measure gross motor development in naturalistic settings, and outdoor play is the richest context for authentic documentation. Aim for at least 60 minutes of outdoor active play daily for preschoolers. Experience Curriculum kits include outdoor activity extensions for every monthly theme.

2. Set up intentional fine motor stations

Fine motor skills require daily practice with varied materials. Playdough, beading, cutting activities, sand writing trays, and button frames all build the hand strength and coordination that physical development standards assess. Rotate materials monthly to maintain challenge and novelty.

3. Document physical milestones in the moment

Physical development documentation is most authentic when captured in the moment — a photo of a child pumping on the swings, a note about a child who successfully used scissors for the first time. Brightwheel’s mobile app makes these in-the-moment observations quick to capture.

4. Support self-care independence intentionally

State early learning standards include personal care routines as a core physical development measure. Build time for children to practice dressing, hand washing, and self-feeding into routines rather than rushing to complete these tasks for them.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about New Jersey’s NJ ELS and physical development, motor skills, and self-care curriculum

What are the early learning standards for physical development?

Physical development is a core domain in all state early learning frameworks. It typically covers gross motor development, fine motor development, and personal care routines. Licensed childcare programs are required to observe and document children’s physical progress.

Is Experience Curriculum aligned to physical development standards?

Yes. Experience Curriculum’s alignment PDFs map each activity and skill to the corresponding state standard indicator for physical development across all age bands.

How do childcare programs document physical development?

Programs document physical development through observation records — brief, evidence-based notes or photos capturing motor skills in naturalistic settings. Programs using brightwheel can complete this documentation digitally.

How much outdoor physical activity should preschoolers get each day?

CDC guidelines recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily for preschoolers. Experience Curriculum supports this with outdoor activity extensions in every monthly kit.

Does Experience Curriculum help with quality rating requirements?

Many childcare programs find that Experience Curriculum supports their state QRIS ratings. We recommend confirming specific requirements with your state’s child care resource and referral agency.