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Early stages of cognition and learning (birth to 5 years)

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Overview

Cognition is a word used to describe how our brains acquire knowledge and understanding. As a child develops, you will recognise changes in the way they play, the language they use and how they think, learn, explore and problem solve. Interacting with your child (chatting, playing, reading) will help the development of their cognition and learning.

How psychology helps us to understand cognition and learning in the early years

Children develop and learn at different rates and in different ways. Psychological research shows us that your child’s cognitive development is influenced not only by the biology they were born with but also by the social and environmental experiences they have in the first few years of life (and beyond). Cognitive development includes skills such as thinking, learning, exploring and problem solving. It also affects other areas of a child’s development, including language and social skills. Psychologists have been studying young children’s cognitive development for decades. Although there are lots of different theories about cognitive development, there is general agreement that the following stages occur:

Cognitive stageWhen?What you will see…Why is this important?
Early object permanence4-8 monthsYour child will follow an object out of sight, and search for a partially hidden object.Your child is starting to understand that things exist even if they can’t see them!
Object permanence9-12 monthsYour child searches for an object that is completely hidden from view.Your child understands that things exist even if they can’t see them – this might be when your little one shows some separation anxiety – they miss you!
Cause and effect9 monthsYour child chooses to play lots of cause and effect games – for example dropping something and waiting for you to pick it up each time.Your child understands that their actions cause another action or is linked to a response.
Functional use of objects12-16 monthsYour child might be putting a brush to their hair or a phone to their ear.Your child understands that objects exist for a reason and can be used – objects have a function!
Symbolic/representational play18 months – 3 yearsYour child will start to use different objects during play, like using a rolled up towel as doll or a box as a car!This is the beginning of abstract thinking and imagination – your child is learning that an object can represent or symbolise something else.
Pre-academic skills3-5 yearsKnows letters, numbers, shapes, colours and counts.These are the building blocks for learning!

Five fabulous facts about early years cognition

  1. Your baby is born ready to learn! When you interact with your baby, their brain forms more than a million new brain connections every single second!
  2. Research shows that the most important thing you can give your child is love and responsive care. The comfort and care you offer your baby makes them feel safe to explore the world around them.
  3. Play is one of the most fascinating aspects of child development. Through play a child can practice problem solving, language, social skills, and motor skills!
  4. Children develop and learn at different rates and in different ways. Their development is not neat and orderly!
  5. Research shows us that the amount of time you spend chatting and reading with your child in the first 5 years of life, directly impacts on their cognitive development and school outcomes!

What can you do to help? Top tips:

CHAT and SING WITH ME!

Talk to your baby while making sure they can see your face and eyes. Use a sing-song voice, respond to your baby when they babble, imitate their sounds and say words with those sounds. Talk about what you are doing, name and talk about things that your baby looks at. As your little one grows older talk about the things you are doing and seeing together, expand on words and vocabulary, and listen to their views and opinions! Continue to use your home language when talking, singing, reading with your child from the earliest age onwards.

Singing and listening to music is a great way to develop skills such as communication and memory. Recite nursery rhymes, sing tickle rhymes such as ‘Round and Round the Garden’ and ‘This Little Piggy’. Action songs like ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’, are a brilliant way to develop your child’s co-ordination and motor skills, as well as their ability to concentrate and focus. Singing finger rhymes with numbers, e.g. ‘Two Little Dicky Birds’, ‘Five Little Monkeys’, are a great way to develop early maths skills as your child gets older.

READ WITH ME!

Read and share stories with your child every day, use different voices and expression, show them the pictures, point to and name things to help build their vocabulary. Let them turn the pages. Ask questions such as “Where is the dog?” and talk about the stories. Share books and stories that let your child see people of different races, cultures and gender. Encourage your child to make up stories.

PLAY WITH ME!

Provide lots of opportunities for structured and unstructured play.

For babies, the best toy is you. Babies love to look at your face and hear your voice, especially when you are smiling. Let your baby watch your face, play games like peekaboo, use a baby-safe mirror. Place colourful (or high contrast) toys within sight but just out of reach and hide toys under a blanket with your baby watching and let them find them! As they grow, teach cause and effect by playing with toys that make noise or movement, rolling balls back and forth, pushing toy vehicles, and putting things in and out of containers. Encourage mark making from an early age by giving your child chunky pencils, crayons and chalks. For toddlers and pre-schoolers, encourage pretend play with vehicles, dolls, dress up and props, stuffed animals, puppets, cardboard boxes, fabric (the list is endless!). Encourage play with blocks, puzzles and toys that teach cause and effect and problem solving. Provide a range of materials for art and craft. Help your little one with simple puzzles and introduce them to colours, shapes and numbers, ready for school! Provide your baby/toddler/pre-schooler with lots of opportunities to explore and play outdoors!

Other helpful ideas

The document “What to Expect in the Early Years : A Guide for Parents” is a comprehensive guide for parents of children from birth to five years that helps you to find out more about your child’s learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. It provides information about the seven areas of learning with suggestions about what your child might be doing and how you can help them. It also includes information about observational checkpoints (taken from Development Matters) that your childminder/early years setting will be using to monitor your child’s development and progress and which can be used to facilitate conversations if you have any concerns about your child’s development.

What-to-expect-in-the-EYFS-complete-FINAL-16.09-compressed.pdf (foundationyears.org.uk)


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