Early Development in Babies and Toddlers
We hear the term child development a lot, but you may be thinking, what exactly does that cover? Child development refers to an expansion of physical, cognitive, psychological, and socioemotional skills that lead to increased competence, autonomy, and independence for a child. From conception to birth and through early childhood, it is important to ensure children are protected and encouraged to grow across the different developmental areas.
5 Areas of Child Development
There are 5 developmental domains, or specified areas of knowledge and activity, in childhood development. They are:
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Cognitive Development-
- Cognitive development is the ability to learn, think, and problem solve.
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Social-Emotional Development–
- Social-Emotional Development is the ability to interact, self-soothe, associate and actively engage with others.
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Speech/Language Development–
- Speech and language development is the ability to understand and use language.
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Physical Development–
- Fine Motor Development is the ability to use smaller muscles, like hands and fingers.
- Gross Motor Development is the ability to use large muscles, including a wide range of leg and arm motions, sitting up, pulling up, etc.
All areas of child development and learning are connected! We will take a look at each area of development up close, how they are naturally expressed through behaviors and how caretakers can encourage these behaviors with specific feedback.
What is Cognitive Development?
Cognitive development encompasses the evolving ability to think, learn, reason, and problem-solve. From infancy through early childhood, this developmental domain plays a pivotal role in how a child interacts with their environment and processes information. This progression involves a series of stages marked by distinct cognitive development examples, such as recognizing faces, understanding language, and engaging in simple problem-solving tasks.
Exploring Cognitive Growth Through Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage
From the moment your child is born until they reach two years old, they are in what Jean Piaget termed the Sensorimotor Stage of cognitive development. This crucial phase is all about discovery through doing and sensing. Here’s what you can expect during this period:
- Object Permanence: One of the most delightful developments to watch for is when your child begins to understand object permanence. It starts to dawn on them that just because something is out of sight, it doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. This is why games like peek-a-boo become fascinating to them—it’s not just fun; it’s a vital learning process.
- Cause and Effect: As your baby grows, they’ll start connecting the dots between their actions and what follows. This could be as simple as realizing that when they drop a toy, it falls, or discovering that pressing a button can make a sound. These are early lessons in cause and effect, laying the groundwork for future problem-solving skills.
Why is Cognitive Development Important in Early Childhood?
Cognitive development in early childhood is about much more than just learning facts; it’s about laying the foundational bricks for all future learning and problem-solving. Let’s dive into why nurturing these cognitive abilities from a young age is so crucial.
Building a Strong Foundation for Lifelong Learning
Think of cognitive development as the bedrock of a house—without a solid base, everything else is unstable. Young children need strong cognitive skills to support their future educational and personal growth. Engaging them in exploratory play and diverse learning activities not only boosts their cognitive flexibility but also enhances their problem-solving skills as they grow.
Enhancing Communication Skills
As children develop cognitively, they begin to process information more effectively, express themselves more clearly, and understand others better. This enhanced communication ability is key for smooth interactions both at home and later on, in the classroom.
Sharpening Decision-Making Abilities
With robust cognitive development, children can start making decisions independently at an earlier age. This independence is crucial for building self-reliance and initiative, empowering them to face and overcome challenges confidently.
Preparing for School
Basic cognitive skills like attention, memory, and critical thinking are the tools children use to tackle the academic challenges of school. Developing these skills early on sets them up for success in the classroom and beyond.
Supporting Emotional and Social Growth
Cognitive abilities and emotional-social skills are deeply connected. A child’s ability to understand and manage their emotions and interact with others is significantly influenced by their cognitive development. Nurturing these cognitive skills early helps cultivate healthier relationships and more effective emotional self-regulation.
Understanding the immense rate of neural development in early childhood, where more than 1 million new connections are formed every second, highlights the critical nature of this developmental period. As noted in insights from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, early experiences fundamentally shape the architecture of the brain and set the groundwork for future learning, behavior, and health. For further details on the science of early brain development and its implications, read more from Harvard’s research.
How This Stage Shapes Daily Learning
Understanding these foundational aspects through Piaget’s lens helps us see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Each day with your child offers myriad opportunities for cognitive development. Providing an environment rich with interactive and sensory experiences becomes crucial. It’s not just about keeping them busy; it’s about supporting their natural curiosity and eagerness to learn about their world.
By recognizing the importance of these early experiences, you can turn everyday moments into powerful learning opportunities, ensuring your child’s cognitive development is supported at every turn.
Cognitive Development for Infants and Babies
At 2-months-old, learning and problem-solving skills are being developed, marking the beginning of their cognitive journey. Hear are a few examples of cognitive development:
- Paying attention to faces
- Following objects with their eyes
- Recognizing people at a distance
- Putting things in their mouth
- Passing toys from one hand to another
- Looking for things to hide and engaging in a peek-a-boo
- Responding to affection and recognizing familiar people from a distance
Cognitive Development Activities for Infants and Babies:
- Talk, read, sing and play together every day-feeding, dressing, and bath times are great for this.
- Look at pictures and picture books together.
- Hold a toy or rattle above their head and encourage them to reach for it.
- Pay attention to their differing cries to learn what your baby wants.
- Play peek-a-boo.
- Play hide and seek with toys and age appropriate objects.
- Allow your baby to safely reach for toys, kick their feet and explore their surroundings.
- Point to and talk about your surroundings.
- When your baby drops something on the floor, pick it up and give it back to them to explore cause and effect.
- Establish routines and maintain them consistently.
- Describe the behaviors you want instead of those you don’t. For example, tell baby, “feet on the floor” instead of “do not climb.”
Cognitive Development in Toddlers
As your baby transitions into toddlerhood after their first year, they exhibit a variety of cognitive development examples that demonstrate significant advancements in problem-solving abilities and cognitive tasks. Toddlers demonstrate their developing skills in various engaging ways, such as:
- Scribbling on their own
- Participating in caregiving activities for a doll or a stuffed animal
- Engaging in simple pretend play
- Naming items in a picture book (“dog” or “baby”)
- Finding objects hidden under multiple layers
- Completing sentences or rhymes in familiar books
Cognitive Development Activities for Toddlers:
- Talk to your child about your daily routines and what you’re doing.
- Work on puzzles together.
- Encourage your child to help with simple household chores.
- Ask lots of simple questions.
- Praise and encourage behaviors you want more of rather than scolding or punishing for the behaviors that you do not.
- Play with blocks and sort shapes.
- Practice identification, ask your child to name parts of their body or what they see out the car window.
- Encourage pretend play.
- Play hide and seek with objects around your home.
Other Important Resources:
- Resources for building quality at home.
- Infant & Toddler Learning Foundations – View our resources to become familiar with the California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations.
- What is Sesame Street in Communities and how does it support families and children’s growth?
- Watch the webinar, “Children’s Emotional Well-Being During Unpredictable Times” from Dr. Eugene Wong on childhood anxiety and how to effectively support a child who worries.
Finally, if you have questions or concerns about your child’s development or behavior, check out Help Me Grow Inland Empire for developmental screening information.