ILTS Early Childhood Education REAL EXAM REVIEW 2025”2026 100
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES COVERING
THE MOST TESTED QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following best describes a key characteristic of cognitive development in early
childhood?
A. Children’s thinking is fully logical and abstract
B. Children rely on trial-and-error learning without influence from the environment
C. Children begin to develop symbolic thinking, allowing them to use language, pretend play,
and mental representation to understand the world ☑
D. Children’s reasoning is identical to adult reasoning
Rationale: Between ages 2–7, children enter Piaget’s preoperational stage. They develop
symbolic thought, which helps them understand concepts through language and play, but they
still struggle with logic, conservation, and perspective-taking. Recognizing these developmental
characteristics helps educators design appropriate learning experiences.
2. When planning literacy instruction for preschool children, which strategy is most effective
in promoting early reading skills?
A. Focusing solely on letter recognition drills
B. Integrating shared reading, phonemic awareness activities, and meaningful print
experiences throughout the day ☑
C. Teaching reading only after children demonstrate perfect pencil control
D. Having children memorize sight words without context
Rationale: Early literacy development is best supported through balanced, interactive
experiences. Shared reading promotes vocabulary, comprehension, and print awareness.
Phonemic awareness activities help children understand sound-letter relationships.
Memorization without context is insufficient at this stage.
3. Which of the following approaches is most appropriate for assessing social-emotional
development in a preschool classroom?
A. Using only standardized tests
B. Observing children in natural classroom interactions and recording anecdotal notes to track
emotional regulation and peer relationships ☑
C. Relying solely on parent surveys
D. Administering written questionnaires
,Rationale: Social-emotional development is best assessed in context. Observations allow
educators to capture authentic behaviors, such as sharing, empathy, and conflict resolution,
which standardized tests or questionnaires may not reflect accurately. These insights guide
individualized support.
4. A teacher notices a 4-year-old child consistently struggles with fine motor tasks such as
cutting and drawing. Which of the following actions is most developmentally appropriate?
A. Refer the child for special education without further classroom support
B. Provide daily, scaffolded fine motor activities, such as play-dough manipulation, tracing,
and guided cutting exercises, while monitoring progress ☑
C. Avoid activities requiring fine motor skills
D. Only allow the child to participate in verbal activities
Rationale: Supporting fine motor development through intentional practice within classroom
activities is developmentally appropriate. Structured play and repeated practice help children
strengthen hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and confidence, rather than excluding them from
learning experiences.
5. Which of the following instructional strategies best supports cognitive development in
early childhood science activities?
A. Telling children facts and expecting memorization
B. Encouraging hands-on exploration, questioning, and problem-solving to allow children to
construct their own understanding of scientific concepts ☑
C. Avoiding experimentation due to safety concerns
D. Limiting activities to worksheets about science topics
Rationale: Early childhood science learning is most effective when children actively explore, ask
questions, and make predictions. Constructivist approaches allow children to connect prior
knowledge to new experiences. Memorization or worksheets alone are insufficient at this age.
6. Which of the following best represents a culturally responsive practice in an early
childhood classroom?
A. Celebrating only mainstream holidays
B. Including diverse cultural materials, traditions, and literature that reflect the backgrounds
of all children, and inviting family participation in sharing cultural knowledge ☑
C. Avoiding discussions about cultural differences
D. Assigning the same uniform projects for all children without adaptation
,Rationale: Culturally responsive teaching affirms children’s identities and promotes inclusion.
Incorporating diverse materials and family knowledge fosters respect, engagement, and
positive self-concept while supporting social-emotional and academic growth.
7. Which of the following is most appropriate when designing an assessment plan for children
with varying abilities in an inclusive early childhood classroom?
A. Using a single assessment tool for all children
B. Employing multiple methods, including observations, portfolios, and performance tasks, to
capture each child’s progress across domains ☑
C. Only assessing children who are at grade level
D. Giving written tests weekly
Rationale: Young children demonstrate learning in multiple ways. Using diverse assessment
strategies ensures teachers can monitor cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development,
providing meaningful feedback and guiding differentiated instruction.
8. A teacher wants to support language development in children who are English language
learners (ELLs). Which strategy is most effective?
A. Only using English during all classroom activities
B. Providing rich oral language experiences, visual supports, gestures, and opportunities for
children to communicate in both home language and English ☑
C. Ignoring home language entirely
D. Relying solely on written worksheets
Rationale: ELL children benefit from scaffolding, visual cues, and opportunities to use both
languages. Supporting home language while introducing English promotes cognitive
development, confidence, and language transfer, which are essential for literacy and
communication.
9. Which of the following strategies best promotes self-regulation in early childhood?
A. Punishing children for not following instructions
B. Modeling and teaching strategies such as taking deep breaths, using words to express
feelings, and providing structured routines and predictable transitions ☑
C. Allowing children to do whatever they want without guidance
D. Ignoring emotional outbursts
, Rationale: Self-regulation develops through consistent modeling, guidance, and practice.
Structured routines and explicit instruction in emotional coping strategies help children manage
behavior, build executive function skills, and enhance readiness for learning.
10. In planning a math curriculum for preschoolers, which approach best supports early
numeracy skills?
A. Focusing exclusively on memorizing number sequences
B. Engaging children in hands-on activities such as counting objects, sorting, patterning, and
comparing quantities to build meaningful number sense ☑
C. Teaching abstract algorithms only
D. Avoiding math concepts until formal schooling
Rationale: Young children learn math best through concrete experiences that connect numbers
to real-world contexts. Activities that involve manipulation, comparison, and pattern
recognition help children develop a strong foundation for later mathematical reasoning and
problem-solving.
11. Which of the following is most effective when promoting cooperative play among
preschool children?
A. Allowing children to play individually only
B. Designing activities that require sharing materials, taking turns, and collaborative problem-
solving while providing guidance and encouragement ☑
C. Separating children by skill level
D. Using competitive games exclusively
Rationale: Cooperative play develops social skills, communication, and empathy. Structured
activities where children must work together, negotiate, and share promote positive peer
relationships and prepare children for group learning experiences.
12. When observing a child’s development, which of the following behaviors would most
likely indicate emerging executive function skills?
A. Ignoring instructions
B. Planning a sequence of actions to complete a puzzle, remembering rules during a game,
and delaying gratification for a preferred activity ☑
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES COVERING
THE MOST TESTED QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following best describes a key characteristic of cognitive development in early
childhood?
A. Children’s thinking is fully logical and abstract
B. Children rely on trial-and-error learning without influence from the environment
C. Children begin to develop symbolic thinking, allowing them to use language, pretend play,
and mental representation to understand the world ☑
D. Children’s reasoning is identical to adult reasoning
Rationale: Between ages 2–7, children enter Piaget’s preoperational stage. They develop
symbolic thought, which helps them understand concepts through language and play, but they
still struggle with logic, conservation, and perspective-taking. Recognizing these developmental
characteristics helps educators design appropriate learning experiences.
2. When planning literacy instruction for preschool children, which strategy is most effective
in promoting early reading skills?
A. Focusing solely on letter recognition drills
B. Integrating shared reading, phonemic awareness activities, and meaningful print
experiences throughout the day ☑
C. Teaching reading only after children demonstrate perfect pencil control
D. Having children memorize sight words without context
Rationale: Early literacy development is best supported through balanced, interactive
experiences. Shared reading promotes vocabulary, comprehension, and print awareness.
Phonemic awareness activities help children understand sound-letter relationships.
Memorization without context is insufficient at this stage.
3. Which of the following approaches is most appropriate for assessing social-emotional
development in a preschool classroom?
A. Using only standardized tests
B. Observing children in natural classroom interactions and recording anecdotal notes to track
emotional regulation and peer relationships ☑
C. Relying solely on parent surveys
D. Administering written questionnaires
,Rationale: Social-emotional development is best assessed in context. Observations allow
educators to capture authentic behaviors, such as sharing, empathy, and conflict resolution,
which standardized tests or questionnaires may not reflect accurately. These insights guide
individualized support.
4. A teacher notices a 4-year-old child consistently struggles with fine motor tasks such as
cutting and drawing. Which of the following actions is most developmentally appropriate?
A. Refer the child for special education without further classroom support
B. Provide daily, scaffolded fine motor activities, such as play-dough manipulation, tracing,
and guided cutting exercises, while monitoring progress ☑
C. Avoid activities requiring fine motor skills
D. Only allow the child to participate in verbal activities
Rationale: Supporting fine motor development through intentional practice within classroom
activities is developmentally appropriate. Structured play and repeated practice help children
strengthen hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and confidence, rather than excluding them from
learning experiences.
5. Which of the following instructional strategies best supports cognitive development in
early childhood science activities?
A. Telling children facts and expecting memorization
B. Encouraging hands-on exploration, questioning, and problem-solving to allow children to
construct their own understanding of scientific concepts ☑
C. Avoiding experimentation due to safety concerns
D. Limiting activities to worksheets about science topics
Rationale: Early childhood science learning is most effective when children actively explore, ask
questions, and make predictions. Constructivist approaches allow children to connect prior
knowledge to new experiences. Memorization or worksheets alone are insufficient at this age.
6. Which of the following best represents a culturally responsive practice in an early
childhood classroom?
A. Celebrating only mainstream holidays
B. Including diverse cultural materials, traditions, and literature that reflect the backgrounds
of all children, and inviting family participation in sharing cultural knowledge ☑
C. Avoiding discussions about cultural differences
D. Assigning the same uniform projects for all children without adaptation
,Rationale: Culturally responsive teaching affirms children’s identities and promotes inclusion.
Incorporating diverse materials and family knowledge fosters respect, engagement, and
positive self-concept while supporting social-emotional and academic growth.
7. Which of the following is most appropriate when designing an assessment plan for children
with varying abilities in an inclusive early childhood classroom?
A. Using a single assessment tool for all children
B. Employing multiple methods, including observations, portfolios, and performance tasks, to
capture each child’s progress across domains ☑
C. Only assessing children who are at grade level
D. Giving written tests weekly
Rationale: Young children demonstrate learning in multiple ways. Using diverse assessment
strategies ensures teachers can monitor cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development,
providing meaningful feedback and guiding differentiated instruction.
8. A teacher wants to support language development in children who are English language
learners (ELLs). Which strategy is most effective?
A. Only using English during all classroom activities
B. Providing rich oral language experiences, visual supports, gestures, and opportunities for
children to communicate in both home language and English ☑
C. Ignoring home language entirely
D. Relying solely on written worksheets
Rationale: ELL children benefit from scaffolding, visual cues, and opportunities to use both
languages. Supporting home language while introducing English promotes cognitive
development, confidence, and language transfer, which are essential for literacy and
communication.
9. Which of the following strategies best promotes self-regulation in early childhood?
A. Punishing children for not following instructions
B. Modeling and teaching strategies such as taking deep breaths, using words to express
feelings, and providing structured routines and predictable transitions ☑
C. Allowing children to do whatever they want without guidance
D. Ignoring emotional outbursts
, Rationale: Self-regulation develops through consistent modeling, guidance, and practice.
Structured routines and explicit instruction in emotional coping strategies help children manage
behavior, build executive function skills, and enhance readiness for learning.
10. In planning a math curriculum for preschoolers, which approach best supports early
numeracy skills?
A. Focusing exclusively on memorizing number sequences
B. Engaging children in hands-on activities such as counting objects, sorting, patterning, and
comparing quantities to build meaningful number sense ☑
C. Teaching abstract algorithms only
D. Avoiding math concepts until formal schooling
Rationale: Young children learn math best through concrete experiences that connect numbers
to real-world contexts. Activities that involve manipulation, comparison, and pattern
recognition help children develop a strong foundation for later mathematical reasoning and
problem-solving.
11. Which of the following is most effective when promoting cooperative play among
preschool children?
A. Allowing children to play individually only
B. Designing activities that require sharing materials, taking turns, and collaborative problem-
solving while providing guidance and encouragement ☑
C. Separating children by skill level
D. Using competitive games exclusively
Rationale: Cooperative play develops social skills, communication, and empathy. Structured
activities where children must work together, negotiate, and share promote positive peer
relationships and prepare children for group learning experiences.
12. When observing a child’s development, which of the following behaviors would most
likely indicate emerging executive function skills?
A. Ignoring instructions
B. Planning a sequence of actions to complete a puzzle, remembering rules during a game,
and delaying gratification for a preferred activity ☑
