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Birth to Age 3 - Cognitive Development Guidelines

Babies start learning from the moment they are born, and some of the things they learn in the first months of their lives are basic skills and ideas that will be directly taught to them years later.  Helping infants and toddlers connect with the world around them, through book reading and storytelling, is the best way to build foundations for reading. The ideas children make during these interactions and the new words they learn will help them later when they make connections while learning new ideas in science and social studies.

Writing

Learning to write involves children’s ability to control writing tools. This ability comes from years of developing fine motor skills beginning in infancy. Giving infants a number of materials to play with helps them develop hand-eye coordination and control of their hands and fingers. An especially important activity to prepare toddlers for writing is drawing. It gives children another chance to practice fine motor skills and helps children connect marks on paper with spoken words or messages.      

Make-Believe Play

Engaging in make-believe play is another great way for children of this age to learn. During play, they can use all of their five senses to try out new things, make predictions about what will happen, and solve problems. Play lets children practice early math and language skills in a way that makes sense to them.     

Math

Another way to help children build their growing understanding of math is for caregivers and parents to often use math-related ideas in their interactions with babies and toddlers. Long before babies learn number words, they show an ability to notice between quantities and when a new object is larger or smaller than another one. These early ideas about numbers and size lay the foundation for understanding more advanced mathematical concepts.  Adults can help infants and toddlers in their math learning by helping them explore objects that differ in size, shape, and quantity. Learning to tell the difference between objects based on their different qualities is also important for developing logic and reasoning.    Early development of logical reasoning and other important brain processes not only helps children's future success in school subjects, but also helps them solve problems across a number of different situations.

ELDG
The Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines
Are you interested in learning about the expectations for your child's development based on their age? The Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines describe the path of children’s learning and development from birth to 8 years old. Broken down by age and major milestones, the guidelines are a sort of map, helping parents and caregivers navigate their child's early years. Experts from across Colorado developed these guidelines to create a shared understanding and a coordinated approach to learning and development.

Curious about what your little one is thinking at this age? Wondering what you can do to help them thrive and reach their developmental milestones? Check out the guidelines using the link below.
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Raising Colorado Kids Guide is brought to you by the Colorado Office of Early Childhood.

For general help, call 1-800-799-5876 or email  cdhs_oec_communications@state.co.us

Contact Us

Raising Colorado Kids is brought to you by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.

For general help, call 1-800-799-5876 or email  cdec_communications@state.co.us

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