Infants:Intellectual DevelopmentChild Development

CuriosityHow does curiosity lead you to

learn???What things to infants need to

learn about the world around them?

Learning in the first yearA baby’s brain is fed by what he or she

experiences through the senses. These experiences help the baby become organized.

Baby’s ability to learn from the senses, called perception, improves.

In just a few months babies can see farther away and learn hand-eye coordination

Babies develop for abilities that show growing thinking power:◦ Remembering◦ Making Associations (Parent=care)◦ Understanding Cause and Effect◦ Paying Attention

Piaget’s Theories

Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, found that intellectual development followed a pattern. Children learn to master one thinking skill

before they can master another one.◦ Sensorimotor Period

Birth – 2 years Children learn through senses and their own actions Babies learn that objects do not just disappear (Peek-a-boo)

◦ Preoperational Period 2-7 years: Children think in terms of their own activities

and what they perceive at the moment

◦ Concrete Operations 7-11 years: Children can think logically but still learn best

through experience

◦ Formal Operations 11 years-Adulthood: People are capable of abstract

thinking

Major steps in Intellectual development

1-2 months◦ Follows objects with eyes◦ Prefers faces to objects, recognizes certain voices◦ Cries to get needs met

3-4 months◦ Recognizes caregivers face, responds to talking◦ Grasps and swipes at objects, practices sounds◦ Interested in their hands and feet

5-6 months◦ Alert for long periods of time◦ Reaches for things and holds onto them◦ Studies objects and looks for things that are dropped◦ Loves Peek-a-boo◦ Recognizes their own voice and recognizes angry

voices

Stages (Continued) 7-8 months

◦ Imitates actions of others◦ Begins to understand cause and effect◦ Remembers things that have happened◦ Sorts objects by size, solves simple problems◦ Babbling speech, remembers some words

9-10 months◦ Search for hidden objects, take objects out and put them

back in◦ Plays patty cake and handles large objects well◦ Responds to some words, may say some words◦ Obeys simple commands

11-12 months◦ Manipulates objects skillfully◦ Likes picture books◦ Knows parts of body◦ Recognizes many words and speaks some words

Ways to help baby learnLearn about child development

through booksGive your time and attentionProvide positive feedbackExpress your loveTALK, TALK, TALKProvide a safe learning

environment

Play is important!There are many toys for many

age groupsChoose toys that are appropriate

for age group, but also challenging so they can move ahead in development

Make sure toys are safe and not recalled

Check Out These Toys:

Birth to Three months

Four to Six months

Seven to Nine months

Ten to Twelve months

Journal: Choose one (4-5 sentences)

Think about toys you played with as a child. Can you think of a toy that was particularly important to you? Describe that toy and how it helped your development.

Think about yourself as a parent. Of the toys we talked about today, which toy would you definitely buy for your child? Why is this toy important to their development?