Perception and cognitive development

Many new parents pay close attention when it comes to their baby's development, so as not to miss any milestones. Their physical changes can be measured very precisely, and at least in the first few months, parents can even compare growth and weight gain with numerous charts. The situation is different with mental, or so-called cognitive development, which is not always immediately visible. In this article, you will learn what exactly is meant by cognitive abilities, how you can observe your baby's development, and how to support their learning.

What are cognitive abilities?

When your baby is born, all the physical abilities that ensure its survival are already embedded in its autonomic nervous system. The areas of the brain that help your little explorer understand their environment and comprehend themselves, however, still need to develop. These so-called cognitive abilities include Language comprehension and perception as well as Thinking structures, memory, and the ability to solve problems . Therefore, the cognitive is also often referred to as intellectual development are referred to. Cognitive abilities are closely linked to sensory perception, that is, hearing, seeing, and feeling. But also maturation and experience play an important role in the process of thinking increasingly complexly and consequently acting.

This development does not occur linearly, but rather suddenly and very individually. Even if children typically reach certain milestones at a specific age, you don't have to worry immediately if your child takes a bit longer. Maybe your little explorer is already discovering their world early on and walking on their own, but they tend to be more of the quiet type – children ultimately learn at their own pace. Therefore, the overview in this article should only serve as a rough guide. If you have concerns about your baby's development, it's best to discuss them with your pediatrician. How to stay calm during comparisons between parents and their little ones on the playground or in daycare, you can learn in the article “ “.

How do cognitive abilities develop?

Cognitive abilities develop gradually. The foundation for cognition is often physical development in many cases of your little explorer, so physical milestones often precede cognitive ones. We have listed the most important developments below. However, keep in mind that the timeframes are only approximate, and it is quite possible that your baby is a little earlier or later – after all, every child develops individually and at their own pace.

In the first weeks

• Your baby can see about 20 to 25 centimeters ahead, blurry and in shades of gray

• It also perceives shapes and patterns, but primarily reacts to light-dark contrasts

• Reacts to sounds, especially human speech, and can distinguish its mother's voice from others

• Your baby is searching for voices and sounds and turning towards them

Until the 3rd month

• Your little explorer observes his surroundings attentively and looks around with his eyes for sources of noise

• He can initially only fix objects temporarily

• Your baby shows the first signs of recognizing familiar faces and is probably giving you its first conscious smile

• It now has the ability to perceive different colors

Until the 6th month

• Your baby is discovering the world more and more with all their senses

• It begins to see spatially and recognize objects

• Your child already perceives when an object is approaching, sees if an object is within reach, and understands that they can move it

• It now probably looks at its toys more consciously and examines them with its mouth

• It begins to understand contexts and, for example, stretches its arms when it wants to be picked up

• Your baby's thinking is becoming more abstract, and it can already combine different sensory impressions – for example, understanding that both cats and dogs are animals

• Language development increasingly begins with own sounds such as cooing or squeaking, which can also reflect his mood

Until the 9th month

• Your child now understands first words and recognizes their own name

• Now a lot is learned through communication, and with targeted questions, you can promote their understanding of connections (for example, "Where is the ball?")

• Your baby is increasingly understanding that it can act actively and consciously sets goals, for example by crawling through the room

• Toys no longer just go into the mouth or hit the floor with them; now they realize that the car can drive or that you can cuddle with the teddy bear

• Cause and effect become increasingly clear to your child, and they explore them playfully: "What happens if I press the button?"

• Your explorer can now distinguish between people and is beginning to show interest in other children; strangers may therefore cause fear.

• Until it is about eight months old, your child only exists for what it can see – if you disappear from its sight, you are gone

• From the eighth or ninth month, it can briefly store memories
  and begins to understand that things outside of its field of view are still present

• That probably also reflects in his play, for example, when he repeatedly checks whether the toy is still under the ceiling

Until the 12th month

• Your child is now sleeping less during the day and demanding more entertainment

• It can always better assess what happens when it chooses certain actions

• Your little explorer uses gestures, for example, to point at what it wants

• His language development is also making great progress: He now produces conscious sounds and syllable chains, which gradually become the first words

Up to 1.5 years

• Your child's spatial awareness is beginning to develop

• It now prefers to put things in and out or stack objects

• Toy that was hidden in front of his eyes, now finds it

• Your child is now using their experience more actively, wants to do many things on their own, and is interested in how things work

• Your child learns through imitation: It now copies the gestures and activities of caregivers

• It communicates what it wants through words and gestures

Up to 2 years

• Your child recognizes that objects can be the same or different sizes and begins to sort objects based on properties such as shapes or colors

• Solves problems independently through trial and error and uses tools, for example, to reach toys

• Your little explorer can "pretend" and intentionally imitate people or animals

From 2 years old

• At this age, your child has a stable internal concept of objects and actions, which is also reflected in play: for example, they imitate everyday scenes with dolls or stuffed animals.

• Upon request, it can show its nose and its ears

• Your child is developing the ability to imagine the results of their actions without having to carry them out practically

• Can invent or replace objects in the game (a cardboard box, for example, becomes a car)

• Thinking and doing can also still be confused

• Your child still needs to develop the ability to empathize with others

How can I support cognitive development?

Your baby has been eager to understand and participate in its environment since birth – it learns automatically every day. Nevertheless, you can support your child and gently promote its cognitive development from the very beginning. Your little explorer learns in a playful way, and what he enjoys engaging with can be easily observed to see what stage of development he is currently going through. Experiences that strengthen his cognitive skills are mainly gathered through social interactions, the Communication and interaction with caregivers . You can encourage this by talking to your baby a lot from the very beginning, engaging with him
communicates and reads aloud to him. As it gets older, age-appropriate toys are especially suitable to support the natural developmental stages of your explorer and to stimulate his curiosity. For example, he can with Plug-, Stack-, and Sorting Games practices recognizing and matching different shapes and colors – all the while, he trains his Fine motor skills . Please note
there, do not overstimulate your child with too many toys. Also, their concentration ability must first develop, and the younger they are, the harder it is for them to focus on a single activity for a longer period. Therefore, create a calm environment for learning games whenever possible. Of course, your diligent little darling always deserves a big compliment. ;)

Surely it is also fascinating for you to watch your child as they gradually develop skills that often seem so natural to us adults. The learning process is based on the complex interplay of physical prerequisites, maturation, and experience. So don't worry if your little explorer takes a bit longer to the
one or another milestone takes a bit longer. After all, his natural curiosity automatically fosters a healthy ambition, and with enough time to try out and explore, he will soon be unstoppable. :)