In addition to physical growth, the child’s character will further develop with age and need more attention from parents. Mental and psychological development affects the cognitive development of the baby too.
Stage of Cognitive Development of Children
Mother can recognize various stages of cognitive development. This will help the Mother a lot in determining the psychological development of the baby. The following four stages of cognitive development of children according to French psychologist, Jean Piaget:
- Sensorimotor Stage
At the age of 2 years, the baby begins to learn about the world through the senses. Babies also begin to recognize objects before their eyes at this stage.
- Preoperational Stage
Children aged 2-7 years develop memory and imagination. At this age, the baby is able to understand symbolic things and understand past and future ideas.
- Concrete Operational Stage
At the age of 7-11, babies become more aware of external events and feelings other than their own feelings. They begin to understand that not everyone shares their thoughts, beliefs, or feelings.
- Formal Operational Stage
At the age of 11 years or more, the baby begins to enter this stage. They can use logic to solve problems, see the world around them, and plan for the future.
Do you know? Cognitive development is based on the cognitive skills of the baby. Cognitive skills include attention, short-term memory, long-term memory, logic and reasoning, auditory processing, visual processing, and processing speed. If your baby is able to think, learn, read, remember, pay attention, and solve problems, it is a sign that his cognitive skills have been honed well.
Furthermore, short-term and long-term memory develops between the ages of 2 and 5 years. Hearing processing is very important for baby reading skills to develop between the ages of 5 and 7 years. Logic and reasoning also become more established during after the age of 5 years. At the age of 5 years, the cognitive development of Mother’s baby will increase so that he can make ideas.
The Important Role of Cognitive Skills
Mothers should start taking the initiative to train their children’s cognitive skills early on. This is the best way to support the development of children to adulthood, both mentally and psychologically.
It is not uncommon to find cases of children having chronic diseases when they are teenagers or even adults. That is due to the lack of emotional, social, and cognitive strength of children. Mothers should also apply positive values for the development of the baby. This includes teaching children to compete positively, both in social and educational settings; increase self-confidence and maintain self-esteem; respect social and cultural rules to act on good morals; and hone sympathy and empathy for others.
Mental and psychological quality development will have a good effect on the temperament of the baby and personality as a teenager and adult. This also affects the long term as they begin to enter the career path phase.
When entering the early stages of maturity, children must have adaptive social functions that are good for their career lives. This can be measured by its stability. An unstable career especially in the context of long-term unemployment is associated with subjective satisfaction and low self-esteem. To achieve this is quite simple. Mothers can begin to exercise self-confidence in their potential early on.
Now Mother can find out whether the development of the baby, especially mentally and psychologically, is ripe or not at school age 5-12 years. There are several signs that Mother can recognize, including if the child is able to escape from parents for a limited time without causing tension.
Babies are also able to divert attention from parents to other adults so they are able to impress others besides their own parents. Children are also able to work with peers, and understand the rules of the game.
This ability is also enhanced by an interest in learning something new, and being able to complete a given task. When Mother finds these signs, it means that the baby is ripe mentally and psychologically.
If you have not found this mark, you may be able to consult with your child’s doctor or psychologist. The involvement of experts is very instrumental in determining the best steps to overcome this problem. One important note that you should pay attention to is to remain calm and always provide the best support for your beloved baby.