1. Executive Function Begins
Executive function is a collection of skills that connect cognitive processes with activities, like making plans and executing them successfully or even just paying attention to what someone else is saying. Early childhood is a time when executive function can develop quickly. Interestingly, overly structured environments can hinder this process as children are not put in a position to make independent decisions.
2. Signs of Healthy Development
Sometimes, young children like to refer to non-human objects in very human terms. Asking a parent to hug a stuffed animal good-night so that its "feelings" don't get hurt is a good sign of intellectual development, as well as a very endearing request. Typically, this sort of anthropormophizing takes place between the ages of 2 and 7.
3. Cognitively Sophisticated Children Constantly Ask
Between the ages of 4 and 7, children are often developing thought processes that inspire the relentless questioning. This manifestation of insatiable curiosity reflects a search for insight and understanding that naturally accompanies highly developed cognitive abilities.
4. Logical Thought
Before this age and the understanding of logic, a cylindrical container will certainly hold more cereal than a bowl, which explains the cries of unfairness when two youngsters are supposedly given equal portions. At the age of 7, approximately, concrete examples of theory actually start to make sense, and at this point, pouring both containers out and showing the equal portions will have an effect. Prior to this age, such a thought process is unlikely to take place.
5. Many Forms
Abstract thought, memory and problem-solving are all great indicators of healthy cognitive development but so are much more basic activities like recognizing a color or familiar object. Simple gestures towards a desired toy is an effective form of communication, for example, and this basic message can be interpreted as a great success while a child is in the early stages.
