Kids’ brains develop at a rapid pace, especially from infancy to about five or six years old. In addition to family nurturing and child care, early education helps make the most of this growth by teaching them foundational cognitive and behavioral skills they will carry into later life. To understand more about your baby’s ability to learn when they are young, explore the guide below.

0-9 Months

When babies are born, their brains are already about 33% of the size of an adult’s. This is one of the reasons why infants pick up hearing, vision, and motor skills so quickly. By nine months, many children begin to understand the sizes and shapes of their surroundings and will start to move and grab for objects independently. You and their child care provider will see them start to laugh, smile, make speech sounds, and respond to their own names. 

1-2 Years

At this age, your kids start to understand the basics of emotional control, symbols, and habitual responses. They’ll learn to walk and kick a ball during this time period. Your children will show an interest in independent behaviors, such as turning the pages of a book or studying their toys more closely. They should also learn how to match different shapes and colors together. 

3-5 Years

By age three, your child’s brain is nearing the size of an adult’s. They are ready to sharpen their language and social skills. You’ll likely notice that they ask you plenty of questions, such as why certain events happen and how items work. Their vocabularies will develop rapidly—aided by regularly reading to them. It’s also a good time to introduce them to numbers. 

Foster your child’s healthy early development by signing them up for child care at Little Hands at Work & Play in Omaha, NE. Their enrichment programs help infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners develop the skills they need for future success through bonding with classmates and teachers and hands-on education. Call (402) 493-6615 to learn more about enrollment or to ask questions. Visit them online to learn more about child care tuition agreements and transportation.