Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

Cognitive development is the process of learning how to think and includes problem solving, memory, rationalization and language skills. Early childhood is crucial for fostering the development of future learning skills for reading, writing, and math.

  1. Age 2

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics states that by the age of 2, toddlers should be able to find hidden objects, identify shapes and colors and engage in fantasy play.

    Ages 3 to 4

    • Children, 3 to 4, should be able to understand and name some colors and numbers, follow simple commands, begin to understand the concept of time and use memory to tell stories.

    Parental Involvement

    • To encourage cognitive development, parents should offer a wide variety of learning opportunities such as structured play and visits to museums or events designed especially for children. Young children are curious and benefit from diverse activities.

    Developmental Delays

    • Parents should be aware if their child consistently does not meet cognitive development milestones--if there is a developmental delay--early intervention with specialists can improve their child's progress.

    Child Care

    • The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development conducted a study of child care settings and found that children who were in high quality child care had a greater chance of developing good cognitive skills than those in poor quality care. It also found, however, that family characteristics such as socioeconomic class and parental education had more of an impact on cognitive development than child care.

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