Intellectual Development Chapter 14

Intellectual Development Toddler’s are curious about their environment. Parents play an important role Parents’ enthusiasm is contagious Toddlers who see the world as an exciting place are more likely to explore

Piaget and Younger Toddlers Last two stages of Sensorimotor stage and beginning of Preoperational stage. Sensorimotor 1E: Tertiary Circular Reactions 1F: Mental Representation Preoperational 2A: Preconceptual Phase

Tertiary Circular Reactions 12-18mos: Tries out new ideas by planning changes in their actions on objects to meet a goal Example: they may tear, pinch and mash playdough to see what happens This is different from Primary and Secondary Circular reactions this is the THIRD change in the child’s behavior toward objects… in this stage the child repeats different actions over and over = circular response

Mental Representation 18mos: toddlers begin to have mental images This helps in problem solving Thinks about actions then results Example: a toddler can mentally “turn” an object to put it through the shaped hole in a sorting box This substage is the bridge to the next stage in which mental thinking replaces motor actions

Mental Representation contd Two intellectual skills develop during this stage: 1. Object permanence is complete. Example: toddlers look for a completely hidden object and even look in places they have never seen the object 2. Imitation The ability to imitate takes a major leap Increased memory capacity Can imitate what they saw at an earlier time

Piaget and Older Toddlers Preoperational Stage: the period before logical thought and is divided into 2 stages According to Piaget, 2-4 year old children are in the first substage of preoperational thinking called the preconceptual phase Despite toddlers’ intellectual ability, their concepts and reasoning are often illogical. To show the difference between logical and confused concepts, Piaget referred to the toddlers’ concepts as preconcepts Example: Toddlers get facts and the order of events mixed up when they try to retell a story

USE OF SYMBOLS Symbols: represent objects (and eventually ideas) that are not present at the time WORDS ART PRETEND PLAY

Prelogical Thinking Piaget focused on what older toddlers do not yet understand….because toddler thinking is often illogical and irrational, Piaget called this thinking prelogical…Some examples include (see page 348-349) Confusion about cause and effect Egocentrism: cannot see things from another’s perspective Animism: believe everything has a life Focus on the “bits and pieces”: can’t yet see the big picture

PIAGET HANDOUT Please use Appendix B to complete chart and handout: Please COPY exactly as written. Page 596 STOP HERE

Part 2: Playtime Means Learning Intellectual Development occurs through play in the toddler years PHYSICAL PLAY Develop muscles and refine balance and coordination Use energy and build stamina Sets a good pattern for exercise that will maintain health OBJECT PLAY: More interested in the activity then the outcome of the activity Empty and fill containers Pushing buttons Pouring Stacking blocks Learning the meaning of more, less, tall, short, and big and little Develops fine motor skills

Pretend Play Toddlers’ mental images allow them to begin pretend play Between two and three years pretend play becomes based on imitation of others’ experiences. These imitations are usually short in duration May say “hi” and “by” on the phone May “sweep” the floor Read a book

The PLAY Environment NEED SAFE PLACES NEED OPEN SPACES: to use large muscles COZY AREAS: for object play and pretend play Most toys should be Open Toys: allow children to use their imaginations and creativity examples? Closed Toys: toys that work one way Examples?

Language Development A child’s first spoken word is often said in infancy-typically by 11 or 12 months of age Using words to name objects or people begins at 13 months Before 18 mos., most toddlers say a single word with expression and gestures to convey meaning By 18-22 mos. toddlers start combining two- word sentences By the end of toddlerhood, their vocabularies may contain more than 500 words

Importance of Books Books are VITAL to a child’s intellectual development and enjoyment of learning Picture books are books that are predominately pictures BUT may have words and text..such as the alphabet Can begin reading books as early as you want, but most parents begin by 6 months

The Parents Role in Language Development Match your interaction style with toddlers skills Reduce language difficulty during early stages of development: “r” sound Expanding language after 18 mos or two years: labeling Respond to toddlers attempts at conversation Try to understand what toddlers want or need based on nonverbal cues Reading, singing and saying rhymes DAILY Using dolls and stuffed animals to encourage talking Playing “I spy” Using positive, approving words with toddlers

Recognizing Language delay Parents should seek professional help if their toddlers: Do not babble with expression by 1 year Do not say a few understandable words by 18 months Show little understanding of words Communicate only with gestures at 2 years Cannot speak in short sentences after age 2 Up to 10 percent of toddlers have delays in language May be a sign of hearing loss or developmental delay

ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS