This Spanish-language ERIC Digest addresses the question of what young children should be learning that will best serve their development and learning in the long term. Two major dimensions of development--normative and dynamic--are explored, and four categories of learning goals are discussed: (1) knowledge; (2) skills; (3) dispositions; and (4) feelings. The view that children learn most effectively when they are engaged in interaction rather than in receptive or passive activities is presented. The digest also discusses the risks of early academic instruction, and the need for a variety of teaching methods and informal learning environments. An intellectually oriented approach in which children work together in small groups to explore their environment is recommended. (LPP)