V

Cognitive Development

A

Understanding Stability and Change

Child recognizes and develops the ability to explain how material objects change and how they remain stable.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Tests the stability of physical objects, for example, patting, banging, reaching inside, and sitting on an empty box
• Looks for a toy that has been hidden under a blanket

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Read books like Where’s Spot? and encourage the baby to lift the flaps; share in the baby’s excitement
• Sing “Where is Thumbkin?” while slowly revealing your hands and fingers and then folding them away

B

Representing

Child uses symbolic thought to represent.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Rolls a toy car back and forth on the floor
• Uses two objects that go together to pretend (e.g., puts a spoon in a bowl and stirs)
• Uses a bottle and pretends it contains a favorite drink (e.g., “leche”)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Provide materials for the child to imitate caregiving routines
  • Doll stroller
  • Brush or comb
  • Bottle
• P lay games with a script (“Where is Mommy?” “There is Mommy!” “Where is baby?” “There is baby… there you are!”)

C

Memory and History

Child develops the ability to store, retrieve, and share information about past experiences.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Remembers information about recent event (e.g., continuing to play peek-a-boo after caregiver has stopped playing)
• Uses gestures or single words for a family member after morning drop-off (e.g., going to the door and saying, “Mama?”)
• Imitates actions that they have observed in the past (e.g., watching caregiver blow on hot food before eating, then blowing on own food–hot or cold)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Create opportunities for repetitious play so that the child will say, “again,” and be willing to play the same game repeatedly
• Have designated places to put things; include pictures on the shelves to remind children where objects go
• Document everyday play in pictures and create photo albums or displays at child level; spend time talking with children about the pictures

D

Investigating and Exploring

Child becomes a scientific thinker by manipulating objects, asking questions, making observations and predictions, and developing generalizations.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Brings familiar or new objects they are curious about to a trusted adult
• Laughs at unexpected events, such as when a ball they have rolled up an incline begins to roll back

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Identify and create safe spaces and places for exploring new and different experiences
• Invite children to manipulate objects and feel their texture, weight, and size; this can include pine cones, rocks, leaves, and feathers, for example
• Join the child in paying attention to sights, sounds, smells, and textures
  • Listen to the birds together
  • Smell the hotdog stand
  • Feel the breeze while swinging

E

Understanding Cause and Effect

Child understands and explores the causes and effects of actions and events.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Watches for reactions from other people when an event has occurred, such as an adult answering the phone when it rings
• Repeats actions many times to cause an effect, such as dropping an object for a caregiver to pick up
• Puts objects into a container, turns it over, watches the objects fall out, and then fills it up again
• Approaches objects with an intent to cause a certain effect (e.g., pats a drum, twists a knob, turns on a light switch)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Respond promptly to the child’s efforts to initiate an interaction, for example, if the child makes eye contact with the educator and then covers their eyes, the educator may say, “You want to play peek-a-boo.”
• Push children on a swing so the motion of going away and coming back supports their developing sense of prediction

F

Engineering: Problem-solving with Materials

Child plans and uses hands, tools, and technology to solve problems with materials.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Uses objects as a means to an end (e.g., uses a bucket to transport blocks from one room to another)
• Crawls around a chair to get an object that has rolled behind it
• Keeps turning a container around to find the side with the lid or opening
• Attempts to unscrew lids to get objects out of them
• Undoes materials such as fasteners on shoes or tape on surfaces

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Create an environment with loose parts that the baby may freely explore
  • Water cooler jugs and balls that children can drop through the top
  • Containers with lids that children can attempt to pry off
  • Buckets, baskets, bags, and purses for carrying materials around
  • Boxes, blocks, and safe bean bags

G

Math

1. Comparing and Categorizing

Child recognizes some similarities and differences between familiar and unfamiliar people, objects, or experiences.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Shows preference for particular items such as toys, cups, or clothing
• Knows trash can is something you place items in, but may put objects other than trash in it
• Selects a duck when educator asks, “Where’s the duck?”
• When unfamiliar adult enters the room, may cry or move toward familiar person
• Begins to understand the similarities and differences in speech sounds and distinguishes and imitates patterns of speech
• Chooses to play with the red car even though there is a blue one just like it
• Knows some objects that go together (e.g., puts the doll in a toy stroller)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Describe objects by their size, color, and shape (“You are rolling the big, red ball.”)
• Talk about which objects go together during caregiving routines (“I am getting ready to change your diaper. I need a clean diaper, wipes, and gloves.”)
• Play language games that emphasize speech sounds; for example, repeat the consonant sounds that the baby makes

2. Number Sense and Quantity

Child understands and explores numbers and quantity.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Tries to hold onto two large balls while reaching for third ball
• Fills a bucket with objects and dumps it out
• Holds a block in each hand and bangs them together
• Shakes head “no” when asked if they want more food
• Puts multiple blocks in each cup of a muffin tin

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Use comparative vocabulary as you interact with children (“Carla has more cars than Shante.”)
• Slowly count with children throughout the day. How many
  • Steps on the staircase?
  • Keys on a ring?
  • Wheels on a car?

3. Patterning

Child develops the ability to identify, describe, extend, and create patterns.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Hands object back and forth to educator
• Demonstrates understanding of what comes next in their daily routines (e.g., goes to get shoes after breakfast because the group always goes outside at this time)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Talk to families about the rhythms of their caregiving routines, in order to reaffirm children’s sense of what comes next
• Play back-and-forth games with children
  • Rolling balls
  • Swinging
  • Handing objects back and forth
• Use vocabulary related to patterns: “my turn” and “your turn”

4. Spatial Sense and Geometry

Child understands how objects, points, lines, and shapes fit in space.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Attempts to roll body over
• Puts smaller object inside larger one, such as placing small toy in a bucket
• Uses trial and error to play with objects that can fit inside openings (e.g., tries to put different sized balls into the top of a large jug)
• Repeatedly puts things in and takes them out (e.g., sticks a peg in a hole and pulls it out again)
• Takes rings off a stacking ring and then puts one or two back on
• Stacks blocks on each other, but may put bigger block on smaller one or try to balance a square on a triangle
• Gets in and out of things (e.g., climbs into a large laundry basket and then climbs back out)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Encourage pointing at objects, and verbally acknowledge the item that is being pointed to
• Provide materials in the learning environment that support the development of spatial sense
  • Shape sorter
  • Nesting cups
  • Ring stackers
  • Simple knob puzzles
• Provide collections of objects that are the same shape
  • A collection of cubes, including boxes and blocks
  • A collection of circles, including rings, lids, and round pieces of paper