18 Cognitive Development
Chapter Objectives
In this chapter, you will learn:
- Specific skills for infant or toddler cognitive development.
- Various ways to foster cognitive development.
- The meaning of foundations of learning or habits of mind.
Cognitive Development
“…the process of learning to think and reason. Young children are learning not only knowledge, skills, and concepts, but also acquiring “learning to learn” skills”[1]
Infants are naturally curious and learn through interaction with others and by exploring the environment. Piaget called this stage of cognitive development sensory-motor because infants and toddlers use all of their senses to explore their surroundings. Adults facilitate cognitive development by building positive relationships with children and families allowing infants and toddlers a secure base to explore the environment. Educators observe and encourage new learning to promote cognitive growth.
The specific skills for infant or toddler cognitive development:[2]
- Refine reflexes into purposeful actions (Infants)
- Develop memory skills
- Demonstrate an awareness that predictable things happen as a result of actions
- Develop problem solving skills
- Explore materials and discover mathematical concepts
- Develop early scientific skills through exploration and discovery
- Discover creative expression through music, drama, dance and art experiences
- Become aware of family and others in the community the foundations for social science
As you can see, the area of cognitive development includes content areas of the curriculum such as math, science, the arts, and social studies or science. The chapter will include intentional teaching ideas to support learning in the content areas and to build brains.
Fostering Cognitive Development
The educator’s role is to discover the child’s needs and support their learning.
Reading Questions
As you read, consider how you can respond to children’s self- initiated explorations. Remember we should follow the child’s lead.
- How will you individualize the support you provide to promote cognitive development? For example, a 6-week-old child’s cognitive development is dependent on sensory-motor input and a 15-month-old’s learning is linked to the child’s level of trust and through relationships.
- How would you facilitate ball play with a 6 month old? With a 15-month old?
For infants and toddlers, all developmental domains – physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional – are connected.
Toddler Approaches to Learning[3]
Video Questions
- Did you observe the toddlers using making choices and decisions; solving problems; interacting with others; pursuing their interest; building language and literacy skills; discovering mathematical concepts; and experiencing themselves as capable, competent, successful learners?
- How were the teachers intentional?
Infants are ready to learn from birth. They absorb information through touch, from the sights, sounds, and scents around them. They store, sort, and use this information to explore the world around them. Try to see the world from an infants perspective. Find a ball and explore the properties of the ball.
- What can it do?
- How does it move?
- How does it feel?
- What does it look like?
Read and Answer
Read the article Creativity, shared meaning, and relationships[4] By Carlina Rinaldi.
Look for the answers to these questions:
- How can we assist infants and toddlers in their search for the meaning of things and the meaning of life?
- How can we respond to their constant questions, their ‘whys’ and ‘hows,’ with eyes that don’t see them as helpless or unknowing, but rather with eyes that acknowledge the quest to learn and to know?
The foundations of learning or habits of mind include:
- Curiosity
- Attention
- Memory
- Problem Solving
- Persistence
- Information Gathering
Hopefully, you use habits of mind often because they are not limited to school environments but are life skills.
Review Questions
In your role as an educator you might ask these questions:
- What is the most intelligent thing I can do right now?
- How can I learn from?
- How can I draw on my past successes with problems like?
- What resources do I have available or need to generate?
- How might I look at the situation in another way?
- What do I know or not know?
- What questions should I ask?
- What strategies are in my thoughts?
- What feelings or emotions might be blocking or enhancing my progress?
- What can I learn from others that would help me become a better problem solver?
- Which habits of mind are easy for you?
- Which do you struggle with?
- How will you encourage children to develop effective habits of mind?
References
Early Head Start National Resource Center, News You Can Use. (May, 2014) Early Science Learning for Infants and Toddlers. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start.
Early Head Start National Resource Center, News You Can Use. Supporting Early Math Learning for Infants and Toddlers (October, 2012) Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start.
Geist, E. (2009) Infants and Toddlers Exploring Mathematics, Young Children, 39-42. Available on Blackboard
Gillespie, L. (2015). It Takes Two. YC: Young Children, 70(3), 94-96.
Goble, C. B., Wright, S., & Parton, D. (2015). Museum Babies: Linking Families, Culture, and Community. YC: Young Children, 70(3), 40-47.
Let’s Get Messy!. (2012). YC: Young Children, 67(4), 26-34.
Meléndez, L. (2015). Using Children’s Books as a Social Studies Curriculum Strategy. YC: Young Children, 70(3), 48-53.
Mindes, G. (2005) Social Studies in Today’s Early Childhood Curricula. Beyond the Journal, NAEYC.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2004) Children’s Developmental Benchmarks and Stages: A Summary Guide to Appropriate Art Activities. Beyond the Journal: Young Children
Parlakian, R., & Lerner, C. (2010). Beyond Twinkle, Twinkle: Using Music with Infants and Toddlers. YC: Young Children, 65(2), 14-19.
Petersen, S. (2012) School Readiness for Infants and Toddlers? Really? Yes, Really!” Young Children, 10-13
Image Credits
Pixabay. (2014, October 15). Ball Grass. https://pixabay.com/photos/ball-grass-soccer-football-488717/
Chapter Attribution
Chapter adapted from Chapter 12 Enhance Cognitive Development in Infant and Toddler Education and Care by Susan Eliason, CC BY-NC-SA.
- The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. (2011). Massachusetts Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers. https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachusetts-early-learning-guidelines-for-infants-and-toddlers/download ↵
- The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. (2011). Massachusetts Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers. https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachusetts-early-learning-guidelines-for-infants-and-toddlers/download ↵
- All About Young Children. (2014, May 15). Approaches to Learning (Paying Attention) - 8 to 18 Months. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qfXKl686tuo ↵
- Rinaldi, C. (2006). Creativity, shared meaning, and relationships. In Lally, R., Mangione, P., and Greenwald, D. (Eds.), Concepts for Care (pp. 21-23). San Francisco, CA: WestEd. ↵
