The cognitive development of your child is very important. You will find a multitude of information on what cognitive development is and why it is important. But in reality, your focus should be on how to build, improve and enhance it in the long run so that your child can become a successful individual.
Cognitive Development - What should you be focusing on?
Cognitive development is enhanced by play. This is the first and foremost thing you should understand. Activities that offer active learning and interaction with the environment are the key players in cognitive development.
Follow these fun activities to help you enhance your child’s capabilities and help them be more cognizant.
1. Sing-Alongs as a Learning Tool
Sing-alongs can be a fun and interactive way to learn. The songs allow the child to learn the words and recognize the action associated with them. This helps them learn to use the word in their daily lives. It also helps enhance the kids' memory and memory recall power.
Protip: It boosts parent-child bonding in the long run.
2. Teach and Practice the Alphabets
Well, this could be a daunting task. But we suggest you opt for some education aid or similar interactive activity that revolves around teaching the alphabet. Using educational aid in this fun and learn task boosts the child’s interest in learning.
Protip: Your child can move on to stringing words quickly and become an avid reader.
3. Help Them Recognize and Learn Numbers
Children start picking and recalling numbers from a very young age. Since small children are always more interested in their surroundings, number association can be taught early on. Educational techniques like Number Gloves can help children count and use their fingers to count. This comes in handy as they grow up.
Protip: Children get super active at mental maths.
4. Shapes and Colors as a Fun Activity
Telling children shapes and colors help them associate and learn. This can also be a fun and engaging activity where you can ask the child to share the shape and the color of the objects around him.
Protip: The child learns to interact with the environment and, simultaneously, build descriptive vocabulary.
5. Use Everyday Things Lying Around
Give them a toy, they said!
Kids will be happy, they said!
Ha! This is something that we all, as parents, feel frustrated over. Kids want to loiter around the house and find things to play with rather than finding toys from their toy bins. This habit can be turned into an advantage. Use things lying around to your advantage and tell the names to your child. This will help them build vocab.
Protip: Your child can also work on chores as a part of the learning activity, which helps build self-sufficiency and independence in children.
Conclusion
In reality, there is no single formula for a child’s cognitive development. You need to understand that every child is different, and hence different teaching methods and activities can impact every child differently.
It's always about trying and observing the activities that positively impact your child. A child's cognitive development requires quality time spent with parents or the adults around in their lives.