The first cognitive abilities
A baby's mental development does not happen linearly but in spurts. In the first three months a baby can neither understand that it can make things happen nor that caregivers are still there even when the baby sees no one. But it already recognizes voices and turns toward them.
Between three and six months the next big steps in mental development occur: the baby understands that it can move things. Therefore toys are now looked at more deliberately and individual effects are consciously perceived. Babies are also then able to recognize objects. Surprisingly, the ability for abstract thinking is already present at this age: babies can already group and categorize different sensory impressions and, for example, categorize a cat, a dog and a cow as animals.
Forming plans and anticipating consequences
From seven months on, babies can consciously set out to do something. They decide to crawl across the room to their favorite toy or to throw a spoon on the floor. The same activities are now imitated in different situations. Babies also now recognize their own name. By their first birthday, children can better judge what will happen when they choose certain actions. They now produce very deliberate sounds that are meaningful to them and that then become their first words.
Developing concentration skills and training them
For many big and small tasks in their daily life toddlers need above all one thing: concentration. Maintaining it over a period of time is not so easy, because younger children only have a fairly short attention span. It is very exhausting for them to concentrate on a particular process for a long time. But concentration skills can be well trained. In a quiet environment, the toddler can concentrate better on a single activity than in a noisy setting. Strengthening concentration works best when playing, outdoors in nature, or with small tasks within family life. Children generally find it easier to concentrate on something when they are encouraged with praise and see a purpose behind their task – for example when setting the table!
How a toddler's cognitive development can be supported
Foster cognitive abilities with peg, stacking, and sorting games
Through age-appropriate toys it is possible for toddlers to keep themselves occupied for a short period of time. Particularly suitable are various peg, stacking or sorting games. With them, various recognize shapes and sort them, and in addition to concentration also train fine motor skills and color recognition.
Foster cognitive abilities with threading games
Also with threading games the logical thinking and concentration are wonderfully practiced: The colorful motifs are threaded one after another or discovered in free play.
Foster cognitive abilities with children's puzzles
Puzzling is often already very popular with children at a very early age. At first they try simple grasping puzzles that show motifs from their everyday lives. The Recognition, naming and matching can be practiced very well with them!
