What exactly are intellectual development skills or thinking skills?
It was always thought that babies where not capable of thinking or reasoning, but we have learnt otherwise.
From birth, your baby is very aware of their surroundings, and they are interested in exploring them.
They actively take in their surroundings, gathering information and storing it until they are ready to use what they have learnt,
as this is evident in the achievement of their milestones.
What to expect of your child, as they grow and develope thinking and intellectual development skills:
Birth to 3 months
Make eye contact and cry to show their need
Babies become aware of physical needs such as hunger
They start showing an increased awareness of their surroundings
They begin to see colours
Respond to stimuli with facial expressions
Prefer bright colours, and geometric shapes
They begin to anticipate events, such as bathing or eating
3 Months to 6 Months
They are very aware of their surroundings, especially in strange places
Starts showing interest in toys, and playing with them
They begin to recognise faces, and familiar people
They start copying facial expressions, and respond to familiar voices
6 Months to 9 Months
They start playing with their feet
Recognises toys and what to do with them
Understands the concept of up and down, and will show if they want to be picked up by lifting their arms up towards you.
Recognises the difference between objects, and toys can be moved by pushing, pulling or throwing them.
Recognise pictures in books
9 Months to 12 Months
They star showing an interest in picture books
They will watch activities and other children playing with interest
Responds to simple questions with actions, and babbling
They copy actions and words
They experiment with objects, by putting them in bottles, buckets or even their mouth, and then turning the bucket over to see what happens.
1 Year to 2 Years
They can follow simple instructions and acts appropriately
They copy the actions and language of adults
Start to match objects that are similar in shape, size or colour
Recognises characters in story books with help
Knows the difference between you and me
2 years to 3 years
They are very curious about their surroundings and what you are doing
Can stack rings on a peg correctly
They recognise themselves in a mirror
They start recognising different parts of their body
They can identify objects in a picture
Can follow simple instructions
Copy tasks that you, like sweeping the floor, and want to help with things like preparing dinner.
3 years to 4 years
They can sort objects into simple categories
Can draw a stick figure with a head, and attempt to place the eyes, nose and mouth
They know the difference between present and past activities
They can sort objects by size
Understands things as a whole or in pieces, like a cake or a slice of cake
They can draw simple pictures when asked, name and recognise what they are, like a dog, cat, mom or dad.
They are very inquisitive, and will ask a lot of why, where and what questions
There concentration has increased, and they can focus on one activity up to 15min at a time
They learn by watching and listening to adults
4 years to 5 years
Can count up to 20
Asks questions no stop
Can draw a house and a person in detail, with out help
Matches colours
They make up and sing silly songs
They know their address and telephone number
5 years to 6 years
Draws with detail
Reading skills are developing well
They can write their name and a few other words as well
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