Interactual Development

The first five years are a critical “window of opportunity” in a child’s life when specific types of learning need to take place.  These experiences—good or bad—influence the wiring of their brains.

Intellectual (or “cognitive”) development focuses on functions of the brain such as thinking, learning, awareness, judgment and processing information. Children should be given many opportunities to plan and make choices, then discuss the results of their choices. A quality early childhood education program will do just this, and parents can also incorporate choices into a child’s day (which also is shown to help prevent tantrums!).

To foster early language skills, parents and teachers should narrate children’s play and exploration, ask interesting open-ended questions and expand on children’s ideas. Children can develop math skills by solving simple real-life problems, like “How many plates do you need to set the table?” They can also develop science skills by playing with a variety of materials, which naturally lets them explore concepts of size, shape and number.

Examples of intellectual readiness skills:

• Says or sings familiar songs and rhymes

• Names and describes objects,

  places, pictures and events

• Uses imagination to create

  own stories

• Uses complete sentences

• Recognizes words or signs

  he sees often

• Recognizes and try to

  write her name

• Names some familiar letters

• Counts to 10 or higher

• Names the colors in a box of eight crayons

• Names the basic shapes: circle, triangle, square and rectangle

• Matches and sort by size, shape and color

• Explores cause-and-effect relationships