First Words
Infants string sounds together to imitate language. Later they use these sound strings to represent things in the world (baba for bottle). As toddlers they progressively build vocabulary and begin to learn the principles of word order (red ball, not ball red).
Language Sounds
Language sounds lay the foundation for both the spoken and written word. Hearing spoken language introduces babies to the patterns, sounds and rhythms of speech and provides them with a model for producing language.
Cause and Effect
Children progress from a simple observation of action and reaction (spin the wheel to hear music) to a deeper understanding of cause and effect (germs make you sick). Cause and effect is important because it signals that a child can perceive hidden or abstract forces on objects.
Colours
Learning colour names and matching them consistently to the right colour develops by around the age of 2 to 3 years. When children eventually come to understand the concepts of colour they can then use that information to categorize shapes, patterns and other visual information.
Logic and Reasoning
Logic and reasoning start to develop by the time a child is around 18 months old. Children use logic in everyday situations to solve problems and draw conclusions.
Matching
Matching develops early logic and reasoning skills and is a component of early math and literacy. Children match like objects, shapes, patterns, pictures and stories, letters to sounds and pictures to words.
Fine Motor Skills
The development and coordination of small, refined muscle movements allow infants and toddlers to use their thumb and forefinger to grasp small objects, paint and eventually learn to write.
Parts of a Whole
Children first come to understand about part-whole relationships through sharing. It is only later that this knowledge becomes formalized and builds the foundation for learning decimals, fractions and percentages.
