Cognitive (brain) development refers to the growth of a child’s ability to think, reason, and understand. This process includes the acquisition of knowledge, problem-solving skills, and the capacity to make sense of the world around them. A child’s brain undergoes a period of tremendous growth and change, forming more than one million new neural connections every second. Understanding how this process unfolds is key to providing the right support and environment for a child to thrive.
The Stages of Cognitive Development in the Early Years
Although each child is unique in their growth timeline, there are some predictable stages of cognitive development that children will go through from infancy to the start of elementary school. Below, we outline these stages, including the abilities and milestones a child earns during each one.
Infants (0–2 years): The Sensorimotor Stage
In the first two years of life, babies are in what the psychologist Jean Piaget called the sensorimotor stage. This means infants learn about the world primarily through their senses (sight, touch, smell, sound and taste) and their actions (motor skills). Cognitive development at this stage is all about exploration and discovery:
- Learning through senses: Babies as young as a few weeks old start to track moving objects with their eyes and recognize familiar voices. Within a few months, they begin reaching for objects and putting things in their mouth to explore them.
- Cause and effect: Infants gradually figure out that their actions can cause things to happen. For example, a six-month-old might bang two blocks together and realize they make a noise. By nine months to a year old, many babies love dropping objects from their high chair repeatedly, not to make you crazy, but to test the fascinating “if I drop it, it falls” result over and over.
- Object permanence: A critical cognitive milestone in the latter half of the first year is learning about object permanence, or knowing that a thing or person still exists even when out of sight. You’ll notice this when a baby starts to look for a toy you’ve hidden under a blanket, or enjoys games like peek-a-boo (they now realize you didn’t vanish, you’re just behind your hands). Gaining object permanence opens the door to memory, imagination, and more sophisticated games.
- Memory and recognition: Even in infancy, memories are being formed. Babies will recognize familiar people and routines. By 12–18 months, toddlers can follow simple instructions and will recognize the names of common objects and animals.
During the infant stage, cognitive development is evident in the child’s increasing curiosity and intentional actions. They move from simple reflexes, like a newborn sucking, to goal-directed activities, like an 18-month-old “feeding” a doll. Every time you talk, sing, or play with your baby, you are helping build these cognitive skills.
Toddlers (2–3 years): Early Symbolic Thought
Toddlerhood is a period of explosive mental development. Around two years old, children enter a stage where they begin to think in symbols and images. This is the beginning of Piaget’s preoperational stage (ages 2–7), and for a two to three-year-old, it means:
- Language and memory leaps: Toddlers undergo a huge cognitive leap when they start using words and short sentences to express their thoughts. They can recall names of many objects and people, and even remember simple routines or where things are kept. For example, a two-year-old can name objects in a picture book or the parts of their face when asked. They also start to remember places and familiar stories or songs.
- Imagination and pretend play: Around this age, children begin to engage in pretend play. Your toddler might use a banana as a “phone” or make a stuffed animal “drink” from an empty cup, which is a sign of symbolic play. They can represent one thing as something else in their mind, and that’s big for imagination and problem-solving. They love imitation as well, which means this is a great time to introduce tasks like sweeping or putting toys away where they can help and be “just like” mom and dad..
- Problem-solving through trial and error: Toddlers are little scientists. They will try to fit shapes into a sorter, stack blocks just to knock them down, press buttons on toys to see what happens, and generally experiment with their environment. They might not plan things out perfectly, but through trial and error, they learn how things work.
- Simple logic and concepts: While still too young for true logical reasoning, two and three-year-olds start grasping basic concepts, like sorting by shape or colour. They understand the idea of “two” vs “one” (you might hear “I want two cookies!”). They can also follow two-step instructions in order, like “Go to your room and bring me your shoes.”
During the toddler stage, children’s thinking is still quite concrete and self-focused. Tantrums happen partly because toddlers can’t yet reason through emotions or situations. But their curiosity is endless, and they learn by asking countless “Why?” questions. This is a prime time to encourage their cognitive development by answering those questions and exploring the answers together.
Preschoolers (3–4 years): Imagination and Early Reasoning
In preschool, children aged three and four are solidly in the preoperational cognitive stage, which means imagination is in full swing, but logical thinking is still developing. Here’s what cognitive development looks like for preschoolers:
- Rich imagination and pretend play: Three and four-year-olds often have vibrant imaginations. They create entire stories with their toys and might have imaginary friends. Make-believe becomes more complex, using scenarios from real life (being a school teacher or taking care of a baby doll) or fantasies (superheroes and royal princesses), constantly improvising what comes next in the scene.
- Improved memory and knowledge: Preschoolers can memorize things like nursery rhymes, simple songs, or the sequence of a familiar story. They know their basic colours and shapes, and can name and count a small number of objects. Many four-year-olds can count up to 10, even if they don’t yet understand it as a quantity. They also start to grasp the general concept of time in terms of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
- Sorting, matching, and puzzles: Many preschoolers can sort objects by category (colour, shape, or size) and can do simple puzzles with a few pieces. They enjoy matching games, can understand the concept of “same versus different,” and can identify simple patterns, like alternating colours.
- Attention span and following instructions: Preschoolers show a better attention span than toddlers. A four-year-old might focus on a drawing or game for up to 10 minutes at a time. They can follow multi-step instructions (“Wash your hands, then help me set the table”) and understand rules for simple games, although they might need reminders. Their thinking is still mostly concrete, but they are starting to reason through simple problems (“If we pour this water into a bigger cup, it’s the same amount even though it looks different” is an example of early logical thought, known as conservation, which 4- to 5-year-olds begin to grasp.
During the preschool stage, kids often ask lots of “Why?” questions about how things work. They may believe in Santa Claus or monsters under the bed because they are great at combining reality with fantasy. Encouraging their curiosity and gently correcting misunderstandings helps them gradually move toward more logical thinking while keeping their creativity alive.
Ages 5–6 (Kindergarten Age): Emerging Logical Thinkers
By the time children are five to six years old, they are on the cusp of entering formal school and have made great strides in cognitive development. This age is still part of the preoperational stage, but leaning toward the next phase, at about seven. Key cognitive characteristics of five and six-year-olds include:
- Better problem-solving and reasoning: Five- and six-year-olds can handle more complex thinking than before. They start to think through problems more logically, especially if they relate to concrete, real-world things. For example, they can figure out simple addition or subtraction with objects (“We had three apples, we ate one, now there are two left”). They are also better at understanding cause and effect beyond the very obvious. For example, they might reason, “If we leave the ice cream out, it will melt because it’s warm.”
- Early academic skills: Children at this age typically recognize most letters and can write some, especially the letters in their name. Many know the sounds letters make and may start reading simple words by age six. They can count to 10 or higher and understand the concept of counting objects one-by-one. They also grasp basic math concepts, like more versus less, and bigger versus smaller, and can sort items in order, like from biggest to smallest.
- Improved attention and memory: A five-year-old can often sit and focus on a task, like colouring, storytime, or a game, for 10 minutes or more. Their memory has expanded, and they can remember jokes and stories they want to tell, rules they’ve been given, and when chores need to be done. They might even show signs of long-term memories by now.
- Understanding of time and sequences: By this age, children have a clearer idea of time. They use words like yesterday, today, tomorrow correctly and understand daily routines (“after breakfast we go to school”). They can follow a sequence of steps in order and anticipate what comes next in a familiar process or story.
- Perspective-taking: Six-year-olds are becoming less egocentric in their thinking. They can start to understand that others may have different thoughts or feelings. This isn’t purely cognitive; it’s social too, but it reflects growing brain maturity. For instance, a child might realize that a friend who is covering their ears is scared of a loud noise, showing empathy. This ability to take another’s point of view will only strengthen in the coming years, but its roots are in early childhood cognitive growth.
Activities for Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
Parents can play a vital role in nurturing their child’s mental development through simple, engaging activities at home. Here are some examples:
For Infants (Birth to 2)
- Talking, Singing, and Reading: Engage in back-and-forth interactions by talking and singing to your baby. Read books with them, pointing to pictures and naming objects. This is foundational for language skills and cognitive growth.
- Playing with Rattles and Mobiles: Hold a rattle or other object a hand’s length away from your baby’s face and slowly move it from side to side to encourage eye movement and tracking.
- Playing Peekaboo: This simple game helps children understand object permanence.
For Toddlers and Preschoolers (2 to 5)
- Puzzles and Matching Games: Puzzles help children strategize, enhance spatial awareness, and hone problem-solving skills. Memory matching games and card games like “Go Fish” also help preschoolers work through problems to find a solution.
- Building Blocks: This classic activity develops spatial abilities, problem-solving, and logical thinking as children figure out how to stack and balance shapes.
- Storytelling and Pretend Play: Give your kids everything they’ll need to act out various real and imaginary scenarios. Fill a box or trunk with costumes, accessories, puppets or dolls to encourage long stretches of uninterrupted dress-up play.
- “Why” Questions: Answer your child’s “why” questions to expand their interests and encourage critical thinking.
- Sorting and Classifying: Engage in activities that encourage sorting and classifying items by colour, type, or size. This logical thinking forms the foundation for future mathematical concepts.
- Simple Cooking and Baking: Involving your child in kitchen tasks, like counting ingredients or following a sequence of steps, helps them develop early math skills and an understanding of cause and effect.
The Learning Nest’s Approach to Cognitive and Social Development
At The Learning Nest, we understand that cognitive development is deeply interconnected with a child’s overall growth. Our mission is to provide a holistic program that nurtures both mental and social skills.
“We wish more parents knew that quality early childhood education offers rich, diverse experiences you simply can’t replicate at home. These experiences stimulate brain development, strengthen problem-solving and language skills, and foster social-emotional growth, building a strong foundation for lifelong learning.”
- Holistic Curriculum: We don’t separate cognitive learning from other areas of a child’s life. Our curriculum integrates activities that build problem-solving skills with those that foster social skills. For instance, a child playing with blocks might be encouraged to share with a peer, strengthening both their cognitive skills and their social development.
- Rich, Stimulating Environments: Our classrooms in North York and The Junction are designed to be rich in language and literacy interactions, providing opportunities to listen to and use language constantly.
- Experienced Educators: Our educators are skilled at facilitating learning and asking open-ended questions that encourage critical thinking. They also model positive social behaviours, which is a key way children learn to get along with others. We believe that learning how to cooperate, share, and communicate with peers is just as important as learning to count or identify shapes.
Ready to Nurture Your Child’s Cognitive Growth?
By understanding the stages of cognitive development and providing a stimulating environment, you can play a key role in nurturing your child’s mental growth.
If you have questions about early childhood development or wish to explore our premium daycare centres in North York and The Junction, we invite you to connect with us. Our team is here to support your family’s journey.
Contact us today to schedule a visit or speak with one of our team members:
