Cognitive Developmental Milestones

Cognitive Developmental Milestones Theories Developmental Psychology Print Cognitive Developmental Milestones By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on July 01, 2019 facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Dont Do, and a highly sought-after speaker. Learn about our Wellness Board Amy Morin, LCSW Updated on October 02, 2019 Stages of Cognitive Development Piaget's Theory Sensorimotor Stage Preoperational Stage Concrete Operational Stage Formal Operational Stage Support and Criticism Aleli Dezmen / Getty Images Cognitive milestones represent important steps forward in a childs development. Throughout human history, babies were often thought of as simple, passive beings. Prior to the 20th-century, children were often seen simply as miniature versions of adults. It wasnt until psychologists like Jean Piaget proposed that children actually think differently than adults do and that people began to view childhood and adolescence as a unique period of growth and development. Adults often dismissed the remarkable intellectual skills of infants and very young children, but modern thinkers and researchers have discovered that babies are in fact always learning, thinking, and exploring the world around them. Even newborn infants are actively taking in information and learning new things. In addition to gathering new information about the people and the world around them, babies are also constantly discovering new things about themselves. From Birth to 3 Months The first three months of a childs life are a time of wonder. Major developmental milestones at this age are centered on exploring the basic senses and learning more about the body and the environment. During this period, most infants begin to: See objects more clearly within a distance of 13 inchesFocus on moving objects, including the faces of caregiversTell between sweet, salty, bitter, and sour tastesDetect differences in pitch and volumeSee all colors in the human visual spectrumRespond to their environment with facial expressionsDemonstrate anticipatory behaviors like rooting and sucking at the site of a nipple or bottle From 3 to 6 Months In early infancy, perceptual abilities are still developing. From the age of three to six months, infants begin to develop a stronger sense of perception. At this age, most babies begin to: Recognize familiar facesRespond to the facial expressions of other peopleRecognize and react to familiar soundsBegin to imitate facial expressions From 6 to 9 Months Looking inside the mind of an infant is no easy task. After all, researchers cannot just ask a baby what he or she is thinking at any given moment. To learn more about the mental processes of infants, researchers have come up with a number of creative tasks that reveal the inner workings of the baby brain. From the age of six to nine months, researchers have found that most infants begin to: Understand the differences between animate and inanimate objectsTell the differences between pictures depicting different numbers of objectsUtilize the relative size of an object to determine how far away it isGaze longer at impossible things  such as an object suspended in midair From 9 to 12 Months As infants become more physically adept, they are able to explore the world around them in greater depth. Sitting up, crawling, and walking is just a few of the physical milestones that allow babies to gain a greater mental understanding of the world around them. As they approach one year of age, most infants are able to: Understand the concept of object permanence, the idea that an object continues to exist even though it cannot be seenImitate gestures and some basic actionsRespond with gestures and soundsLike looking at picture booksManipulate objects by turning them over, trying to put one object into another, etc. From 1 Year to 2 Years After reaching a year of age, childrens physical, social, and cognitive development seems to grow by leaps and bounds. Children at this age spend a tremendous amount of time observing the actions of adults, so it is important for parents and caregivers to set good examples of behavior. Most one-year-olds begin to: Understand and respond to wordsIdentify objects that are similarTell the difference between Me and YouImitate the actions and language of adultsCan point out familiar objects and people in a picture bookLearn through exploration From 2 to 3 Years At two years of age, children are becoming increasingly independent. Since they are now able to better explore the world, a great deal of learning during this stage is the result of their own experiences. Most two-year-olds are able to: Sort objects by category (i.e., animals, flowers, trees, etc.)Stack rings on a peg from largest to smallestImitate more complex adult actions (playing house, pretending to do laundry, etc.)Identify their own reflection in the mirror by nameRespond to simple directions from parents and caregiversName objects in a picture bookMatch objects with their uses From 3 to 4 Years Children become increasingly capable of analyzing the world around them in more complex ways. As they observe things, they begin to sort and categorize them into different categories, often referred to as schemas. Since children are becoming much more active in the learning process, they also begin to pose questions about the world around them. Why? becomes a very common question around this age. At the age of three, most kids are able to: Demonstrate awareness of the past and presentActively seek answers to questionsLearn by observing and listening to instructionsOrganize objects by size and shapeUnderstand how to group and match object according to colorHave a longer attention span of around 5 to 15 minutesAsks why questions to gain information From 4 to 5 Years As they near school age, children become better at using words, imitating adult actions, counting and other basic activities that are important for school preparedness. Most four-year-olds are able to: RhymeName and identify many colorsDraw the shape of a personCount to fiveTell where they liveDraw pictures that they often name and describe Help Kids Reach Cognitive Milestones For many parents, encouraging childrens intellectual development is a point of major concern. Fortunately, children are eager to learn right from the very beginning. While education will soon become an enormous part of a growing childs life, those earliest years are mostly influenced by close family relationships, particularly those with parents and other caregivers. This means that parents are in a unique position to help shape how their children learn, think, and develop. In the home, parents can encourage their childrens intellectual abilities by helping kids make sense of the world around them. When an infant shows interest in an object, parents can help the child touch and explore the item as well as saying what the object is. For example, when a baby looks intently at a toy rattle, the parent might pick up the item and place it in the infants hand saying Does Gracie want the rattle? and then shake the rattle to demonstrate what it does. As kids grow older, parents should continue to encourage their children to actively explore the world. Try to have patience with young children who seem to have an endless array of questions about each and everything around them. Parents can also pose their own questions to help kids become more creative problems solvers. When facing a dilemma, as questions such as What do you think would happen if we…? or What might happen if we….? By allowing kids to come up with original solutions to problems, parents can help encourage both intellectual development and self-confidence.