1. Objective 5.01: Cognitive Development of Toddlers

2. Intelligence The ability to understand and interpret situations The ability to learn

3. Toddlers learn concepts… …general categories of objects and information. The toddler learns that a red, round object is a ball. She then thinks ALL red round objects are balls.

4. How Toddlers Learn Incidental: unplanned learning. (Child pushes button on a toy and learns this makes music play.) Trial-and-error: trying different ways of doing something until one works

5. How Toddlers Learn cont. Imitation: copying the behavior of others Directed learning: learning on purpose; parent guides the learning

6. The Toddler Brain Attention: the ability to focus on a task. Toddlers are EASILY distracted. Memory: the ability to recall information. Toddlers mostly have short-term memory.

7. The Toddler Brain cont. Perception – learning from sensory information. Answer toddler questions Use simple descriptive words

8. The Toddler Brain cont. Reasoning: ability to solve problems. –Toddlers mostly use trial and error. –By age 3 a child can think through a simple problem.

9. The Toddler Brain cont. Imagination: thinking of things in different ways Creativity: using imagination to create something new Curiosity: wanting to know what, why, and how. Toddlers need to explore!

10. Playing is Learning!  Play provides many learning opportunities— exploring, imagining, creating, and trying out different roles  Play can stimulate and expand the ability to learn

11. Encouraging Toddlers to Learn  Provide your time and attention  Be patient! Allow time for toddler to think, solve problems, consider choices, and make decisions  Show toddler by example how to work out problems for himself/herself  Keep explanations simple