A baby’s mind is such an unknown! What are they thinking? What do they remember? How do they form thoughts? So many things we wonder about, and yet so little we actually know. So we sit, wait and watch for signs that our children are making progress in their cognitive development. The first time they smile we know they are associating our face, voice or smell with a pleasant feeling. Cognitive development includes everything that causes the brain to make connections between the child and the outside world.

Some things to know about cognitive development:

• Repetition strengthens children’s understanding.
• Memory, literacy, language are all a part of cognitive development.
• Babies begin cognitive development by moving from reflexes to intentional actions.

Enjoy these posts covering cognitive development:

• Preschool Prep and First Day
• Sisters, Me, and Flossing
• Moving on to Chapter Books
• Favorite Singing Books
• Top 10 Signs Your Little One Thinks YOU Are Special
• Happy Earth Day!
• I Can Embrace Fanny's Dream
• Helping Little Ones Appreciate the Performing Arts
• New Favorite Books from our Vacation
• How To Get Kids Interested In Reading
• What I Want for Every Child...
• Recent Reads
• Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss!
• Winter Nature Hunt
• Favorite Doctor Seuss Books

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/yoguedaddy/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0