11.3: Cognitive milestones in infancy and early childhood

Children are actively learning about the world as they perceive it from the time they are in the womb. Here is a table of some of the cognitive milestones infants and toddlers typically develop.

Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Cognitive milestones in infancy and toddlerhood[1]

Typical Age	What Most Children Do by This Age
2 months	Pays attention to faces Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance Begins to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change
4 months	Lets you know if she is happy or sad Responds to affection Reaches for toy with one hand Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it Follows moving things with eyes from side to side Watches faces closely Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance
6 months	Looks around at things nearby Brings things to mouth Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach Begins to pass things from one hand to the other
9 months	Watches the path of something as it falls Looks for things he sees you hide Plays peek-a-boo Puts things in mouth Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other Picks up things like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger
1 year	Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing Finds hidden things easily Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named Copies gestures Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair Bangs two things together Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container Lets things go without help Pokes with index (pointer) finger Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy”
18 months	Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon Points to get the attention of others Shows interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed Points to one body part Scribbles on own Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures; for example, sits when you say “sit down”
2 years	Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers Begins to sort shapes and colors Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books Plays simple make-believe games Builds towers of 4 or more blocks Might use one hand more than the other Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.” Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): While children learn many things through the experiences of bubbles and baths, it is also normal for them to be afraid of water and drains.[3]

A child might protest if told that something will happen “tomorrow” but be willing to accept an explanation that an event will occur “today after we sleep.” Or the young child may ask, “How long are we staying? From here to here?” while pointing to two points on a table. Concepts such as tomorrow, time, size and distance are not easy to grasp at this young age. Understanding size, time, distance, fact and fiction are all tasks that are part of cognitive development in the preschool years.[4]

The many theories of cognitive development and the different research that has been done about how children understand the world, has allowed researchers to study the milestones that children who are typically developing experience in early childhood. Here is a table that summarizes those.

Table \(\PageIndex{2}\): Cognitive milestones in early childhood[5]

Typical Age	What Most Children Do by This Age
3 years	Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces Understands what “two” means
4 years	Names some colors and some numbers Understands the idea of counting Starts to understand time Remembers parts of a story Understands the idea of “same” and “different” Plays board or card games Tells you what he thinks is going to happen next in a book
5 years	Counts 10 or more things Knows about things used every day, like money and food

Attributions:

Child Growth and Development by Jennifer Paris, Antoinette Ricardo, and Dawn Rymond, 2019, is licensed under CC BY 4.0

[1] Developmental Milestones by the CDC is in the public domain

[2] Lifespan Development - Module 5: Early Childhood by Lumen Learning references Psyc 200 Lifespan Psychology by Laura Overstreet, licensed under CC BY 4.0

[3] Image by Ian Cameron is licensed under CC BY 2.0

[4] Lifespan Development - Module 5: Early Childhood by Lumen Learning references Psyc 200 Lifespan Psychology by Laura Overstreet, licensed under CC BY 4.0

[5] Developmental Milestones by the CDC is in the public domain