This paper maintains that the two basic dimensions of developmentally appropriate practice are age appropriateness and individual appropriateness. For the latter dimension, individuals' patterns of growth, personality, families, and culture are believed to be important. Teachers who use developmentally appropriate practices believe that young children learn by doing; that play is valuable in allowing the child to develop in a natural way; and that young children's methods of learning should govern the ways in which one teaches, and not vice versa. Differences between programs using developmentally appropriate practices and those using more traditional practices are discussed. In developmentally appropriate practices: (1) the learner is viewed as having developing abilities; (2) learning is viewed as a creative activity; (3) classrooms are child-centered and often use volunteers and parents to obtain low adult-student ratios; and (4) discipline usually takes the form of guidance, redirection, or prevention. In a traditional program, the learner is viewed as having measurable abilities; learning is governed by a set of principles and consists of the acquisition of a set of skills; and classrooms are teacher-centered and directed. Briefly described is a developmentally appropriate kindergarten program designed by a rural public school system in Arkansas that worked in conjunction with a local university. (SH)