Early Childhood Social Studies: Purpose, Content, and Methods from a Developmental Perspective

by Kathryn M. Obenchain, Megan L. Purcell

Early Childhood Social Studies builds on theory and research to provide practical guidance and concrete examples for teaching social studies content, skills, and dispositions to young children.

Attending to both formal and informal educational settings, this accessible textbook shows how to make social studies developmentally appropriate for teaching and learning experiences with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and in the primary grades. Examining the social studies content areas of civics, economics, geography, and history, as well as the concepts of democratic citizenship, perspectives, and historical time and chronology, the text includes a range of practical tools for pre-service and in-service educators. Readers will find lesson plans, inquiry unit outlines, reflection questions, activity ideas, essential concepts and skills, strategies and resources for educators and caregivers to guide social studies learning, including specific attention to developmentally appropriate assessment for young children.

Combining theory and research with practice, this engaging text is an essential early childhood social studies methods course book for those enrolled in early childhood and elementary educator preparation programs.

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2026