Intellectual Development
Age 1-3
CHAPTER 12
INTRO TO TOYBOX
Brain Development from 1-3
 How does the brain learn?
 Neurons have fibers (axons & dendrites)
 Fibers conduct information to/from neurons
 What is the modern study of the brain called?
 Neuroscience
Brain Development from 1-3
 What is intelligence?
 Ability to understand everyday situations
 Use prior experiences for new experiences
 Capacity to learn
 Is intelligence shaped by heredity or
environment?
 Both!
Brain Development from 1-3
 It is important for young children to have
stimulating environment that promotes learning.
 What does this look like?
 Lots of interaction with caregivers
 Appropriate play things
 Plenty of encouragement
 Why is the stimulating environment important?
 It boosts learning
 Attitudes formed in early years last a lifetime
Brain Development from 1-3
 There are FOUR main Methods of Learning
 Incidental Learning
 Also called Unplanned learning
 Example:
 Push a button on a toy, song plays
 Cause and effect
Brain Development from 1-3
 Trial-and-Error Learning
 When a child tries several things until one works
 Example varies by age
 12 months – Block Sorter
 3 Years – Negotiating trades for toys
 Imitation
 Learning by watching and copying others
 Example: playing telephone
Brain Development from 1-3
 Directed Learning
 Learning that results from being taught
 Who might be the “teachers” of directed
learning?
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parents
caregivers
teachers
older siblings
Brain Development from 1-3
 Concept Development
 Children learn concepts in stages

What are concepts?
General ideas
 Words that go along with them

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Young children learn to categorize by
Color
 Shape
 size

Brain Development from 1-3
 Some ideas are still confusing for youngsters.
 Example: idea that everything that moves is
alive!
 What are some things that “move” that are
not alive?
 Clouds, toys, cartoon characters, washing machine
Brain Development from 1-3
 Time concepts can be tricky.
 When do children understand “before” and
“after?”
 About 2 years
 When do they understand “today, tomorrow,
yesterday?”
 usually Kindergarten
Brain Development from 1-3
 Intellectual activity broken down into 7 areas
 Attention
 Memory
 Perception
 Reasoning
 Imagination
 Creativity
 Curiosity
Brain Development from 1-3
 Attention
 Our senses are always receiving information
 Adults must learn to focus attention
 Young children have a short attention span
 Who can focus for longer: toddler or
preschooler?
 Preschooler!
Brain Development from 1-3
 Memory
 Short term memory
 Ex: Look up a phone number
 Long term memory
 Ex: Experiences
 Babies demonstrate
memory for faces and food early
 When does long term memory
typically begin?
 Usually about age 3
Brain Development from 1-3
 Memory Games
Brain Development from 1-3
 Perception
 Information received through the senses
 Talk about what you are doing with kids
 Example: This is a blue block. Your shirt is blue
too. Lets see if we can build a tower with only blue
blocks.
 It is important to respond to those “why” and
“what is this?” questions. Why?

If ignored, the child may eventually stop asking.
Brain Development from 1-3
 Reasoning
 At age 1, a child will try all possibilities
 By age 3, a child will think through choices
 Children learn reasoning by making
decisions
 Choose between books at bedtime
 Choose between two shirts
Brain Development from 1-3
 Imagination
 Becomes apparent at age 2
 Pretending is a way for
kids to have new experiences
 What can a laundry
basket also be?

Airplane, city building
 What about the closet?
 Cave, house
 Imagination can help kids cope with fears
 Doctor’s kit with teddy bear
 It is important to respect a child’s
imagination
 3 year old who makes up a story is NOT lying
Brain Development from 1-3
 Creativity
 When imagination is used to create something original
 Examples: Finger painting, silly songs, daydreams
 When is creativity most readily developed?
 Early childhood
 Curiosity
 Causes children to wonder “why” and “how”
 Try not to be too overprotective and allow your child to
have new experiences
Encourage Imagination and Creativity
 Encourage exploration
 THINK PAIR SHARE: What are some activities that
depend on exploring and imagination? Make a list! 
Drawing
 Playing with clay
 Building things
 Dressing up
 Telling stories
 You start a story, and
then ask the child to finish it

Encourage Imagination and Creativity
 Provide multipurpose toys
 Kids need toys that can be used in more than one way

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Small wooden blocks: what else can they be?
Cars
Phones
Sandwiches
Walls of a castle
Encourage Imagination and Creativity
 It is important to allow for unstructured time
with no activities planned. Kids need time to
themselves to use their imaginations.
 Less screen time
is better for kids
 What does “screen
time mean?”
 TV, ipads, phones
Encourage Imagination and Creativity
 Resist the Inner Critic
 There is no one “right” way to paint or draw
 It is important to…
 always respond with genuine
appreciation and questions
 Why?
 Helps the child to continue
thinking creatively
Encourage Imagination and Creativity
Encourage Imagination and Creativity
 Reward the Young Creator
 Praise child’s efforts with deeds and words
 Display the child’s pictures
 Let the child hear you bragging about him to friends
and family
Encourage Imagination and Creativity
 Video
 10 Amazing Facts
About the Brain