Cognitive development describes the growth and change in intellectual/mental abilities over time.  The process through which children build their ability to think, reason, use logic, imagine, problem solve and understand are all aspects of cognition.   Infants use social, language and motor experiences to build their skills in this area.  As children get older, other children, parents, family, teachers, and caregivers are instrumental in supporting the growth of a child's cognitive abilities.  Children use play, cause-and-effect, imitation and sports/physical activities to develop their cognitive skills.  Children are eager learners and they gather information from all the  people around them.  Culture, values and related experiences also influence how a child's cognition develops.  It is important for early childhood professionals to keep culture in mind when observing, assessing and planning activities.  In order to help facilitate a child's learning, it is important that healthy and stimulating activities are provided.  Research has underscored that cognitive development in early childhood requiresfrequent active and engaged opportunities for exploration and learning.

Babies:

• Make your own music: Fill plastic containers with rice, buttons, or beans to make different sounds. Or make a tambourine by stapling two paper plates together. Hand one to your baby and have them explore and make their own sounds. Put on their favorite song and play along with it. Make sure you tape the lids and the plates shut to avoid any spills.

Introduce new textures to your baby. Toys are a great way of introducing new things to your baby, so look for toys that are different textures so your baby can explore them with their hands and mouths. Make sure that you get toys that are easy to clean.  

• Read and sing to your baby as much as possible. Babies love the sound of your voice. Point out objects in the books, name them, and make the noise that that object makes. 

Toddlers:

• Play make believe: Have an array of hats and scarves for your toddler and let their imagination guide the play. Talk to your child about who they are and what they are doing.

• Music and Motion: Play nursery rhymes that have actions with your child (ex: My Little Teapot). Stand in front of your child and have them imitate your actions as you both sing the song.

• Introduce simple puzzles to your child. Help them figure out where the different pieces go. Ask your child, "Do the colors match?", "Look at the big picture, where do you think this piece goes?", and "What do you think will happen if we flip this piece this way?". Remember to praise your child for their efforts. You can make puzzles out of the cereal boxes you have in your pantry.

Preschoolers:

• Match it up: Assist your child in cutting squares and help them draw pictures of objects, letters, or numbers. Make sure each picture has a pair. Place the cards face down and shuffle them. Have your child uncover one of the pictures and together try to find its pair.

• Guessing game: Place an object in a non-transparent bag when your child isn't looking. Have your child place their hand inside the bag and without peeking try to guess what the object is. Before your child starts guessing, ask your child to describe the texture, shape, and size of the object to build their vocabulary. Examples of what you can place inside the bag: different fruits and vegetables, a toy, or small child-friendly kitchen items. Switch roles and have your child hide something inside the bag for you.

• Play detective: This can be done in any setting, set a guideline, for example, something that is yellow. Then you and your child try to find any object in your surroundings that is the color yellow. Have you and your child switch off choosing the guidelines. Examples of guidelines: "Something that starts with the letter B", "Something that makes a loud noise", "Something that we can eat". 

Collected from First 5 California website

Video on Healthy Brain Development:

www.first5california.com/parents/videos-downloads.aspx 

Interactive Tool on your Baby's Brain Development: 

http://www.first5california.com/parents/learning-center.aspx?id=9

Rethink Your Drink Resources:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cpns/Pages/RethinkYourDrink-Resources.aspx  

Potter the Otter Loves Water:

http://www.pottertheotter.com/  

Cool Books for Hot Days:

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/booklist/cool-picture-books-for-hot-days/ 

Additional Activities: