Early Cognitive Abilities Of Infants

A significant element in a child’s life is a relationship with their parent and central to this is the aspect of infant-mother bond (Cook, 1999). Parents play a critical role in modeling the adult lives of their children. A research on early brain development revealed that early intervention of warm and receptive care given to children is critical for their growth. It is vital to encourage and offer optimum care for the young children. The way a child is nurtured is a factor in their early brain development. Positive nurturing care and love towards children in their infanthood up to around 6 years results in a positive brain growth (Tribble, 2012). With both parents working, adverse effects on child development may be experienced. Children

The reading process begins well before children start school where the introduction to language comes from parents providing a rich environment surrounded by suitable oral language experiences, exposure to a range of books, and the

Discussion - Coupled with common sense and classroom experience, research shows that parental involvement is crucial in improving reading and literacy skills in children from preschool through adolescence. It appears that babies who are spoken to more by caregivers, or have music or patterns played

I believe that reading is an important way for children to learn. However, there has to be a combination of everything. The primary goal of language and literacy during the infant and toddler years is to help children hear and distinguish the sounds of language in their environment (p.44). I believe that children need to play in order to develop their fine, gross, and other skills. The need to explore and the experience will help them to self-regulate their emotions. According to the article, the most effective ways to prepare your baby for reading involve playing games and sharing book, and repeating words.

Carina Storrs, CNN article “This is your child’s brain on reading”, she discusses the various research studies focusing on early brain development in children who are introduced to literacy at early stages of life. The studies show how the brains activity increases with children as young as newborn. Studies have been performed by many different researchers. Ms. Storrs has quoted several of those researchers in her article with scientific proof of the advantages in a child’s behavior and academic performance by reading to younger children. Various studies have been conducted all over the country with some of the same results.

Three practices that support the language development of all children is that of “communicating and Sharing” (Lally, 2006, p.32) in which a caregiver is observant of the infant and follows the infant's cues in that “Babies show us from the beginning that soothing words and lullabies can calm them.” (Lally, 2006, p.32) thus forming a bond of communicating what the infant's emotions are and sharing them in their reaction to a caregiver.

The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success and achievement is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school. Parents must be literate to help their children succeed.

Children that are exposed to different types of print and books are better readers and writers than those that have not been exposed to print and books. There should be a lot of reading material in the child’s environment, home and school. Exposing your child to bookstores and libraries at an early age will foster the child’s interest in literature. Another way early childhood literacy can be formed is giving your child support and encouragement for your child’s progress in literacy. A caregiver can help increase a child’s literacy by reading storybooks to the child, getting the child involved in activities that help them in reading and writing and applying them. This is done by providing learning opportunities so the child can use what they have learnt and making sure there is the right print materials. Having the caregivers model literacy activities with the children enhances the child’s literacy and helps them to want to be engaged in it. (Strickland, D. S., & Riley-Ayers, S. (2006, April). When a child grows up in a place where an adult shows the child literacy behavior they will want to do the same behavior. This can be writing a letter, reading or just writing a shopping

Infant learning and brain development is fragile and contingent upon numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most critical time frame for infant brain development is from the second trimester to the first three months of life (Marshall, 2011). During this time, neural pathways are forming, areas of the brain are maturing, and brain development is rapid. From infancy until the age of 3 years, neural pathways are still being formed in response to stimulation and for this reason, it is extremely important for caregivers and parents to be aware of the many factors that can influence brain development in infants (Marshall, 2011).

“Literacy learning has a profound and lasting effect on the social and academic lives of children. Their future educational opportunities and career choices are directly related to literacy ability. Since early childhood is the period when language develops most rapidly, it is imperative that young children are provided with a variety of developmentally appropriate literacy experiences throughout each day, and that the classroom environment is rich with language, both spoken and printed. Early childhood teachers are responsible for both understanding the developmental continuum of language and literacy and for supporting each child’s literacy development.

This paper is going to carry out a literature review on cognitive development in infants. The paper will review cognitive development in infants at different stages. Effects of early experience on mental development in infants will also be discussed. The research question and the hypothesis of the research will also be given.

Reading is a skill often taken for granted but it is essential in order to progress in life. For a child being able to read well helps them learn new things, give ideas and enables use of imagination. National literacy trust (2015) suggests that children’s early language skills can have a major impact on a child’s development of literacy skills. Five-year olds with poor language and literacy have a higher risk of underachieving at age seven and beyond. Reading skills encourage more opportunities in life and it can affect a child’s wellbeing if they do not achieve this effectively (Finnegan,2015).

Constructive early language and literacy development can be an ally to opening a child’s (ren) imagination; this will enhance and empower their potential to become successful readers. As the children grow (birth to 3 yrs. old) their brain goes through an extradinary developmental process and they begin to think, learn, communicate and rationalize things. When this early developmental stage is not being nourished the child will feel the affects of it in the long run. Children that come from low-income families that are enrolled in schools are affected the most. Educators and parents can assist these children by giving them the support (early-on) that they need to sustain a healthy learning environment. As educators it is our duty to create an environment that will help in this process.

During the last 3 decades, increased attention has been focused upon the effects of emergent literacy in an early childhood education environment and children 's later knowledge (Roberts, Jurgens, & Burchinal, 2005). It was once believed that children learned to read and write only when they entered elementary school and received specific instruction. However, most research now indicates that a preschool environment is critical in the development of a variety of cognitive and linguistic skills and that it is an important factor in early literacy development (Levy, Gong, Hessels, Evans, & Jared, 2006; Rashia, Morris, & Sevick, 2005; Weigel, Martin, & Bennett, 2006). Research has shown that home experiences need to

As children interact with their environment and the people around them, their linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional abilities develop further. Through these interactions, children construct knowledge by organizing and classifying the new knowledge based on prior learning experiences (Brown, & Lee, 2012). Vygotsky believed social interactions influence both intellectual and language development, and he identified social interactions as the key method in developing new understandings. Therefore, providing books and reading experiences which include social interactions will enhance literacy development (Traverse, & Traverse, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of possessing knowledge of child developmental theory when selecting appropriate children’s books, and explain why considering language development, social and emotional response, and cognitive ability are important. The paper will conclude with issues and insights regarding Reading Readiness and the impact of gender on book choice.