Key Takeaways
- Piaget: Children move through stages of cognitive development
- Vygotsky: Learning happens through social interaction and scaffolding
- ZPD is the gap between independent and supported abilities
- Open-ended questions promote thinking and reasoning
- Focus on the process of learning, not just correct answers
Last updated: January 2026
Cognitive Development
Functional Area 5 focuses on providing activities and opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration, and problem-solving appropriate to children's developmental levels.
What is Cognitive Development?
Cognitive development refers to how children:
- Think and reason
- Learn new information
- Solve problems
- Understand the world around them
Key Cognitive Skills by Age
Infants (0-12 months):
- Object permanence (around 8 months)
- Cause and effect understanding
- Imitation of actions
- Recognizing familiar faces and objects
Toddlers (12-36 months):
- Symbolic thinking (pretend play)
- Memory development
- Sorting and classifying
- Simple problem-solving
Preschoolers (3-5 years):
- Logical thinking (begins around 4)
- Understanding sequences
- Making predictions
- More complex problem-solving
- Understanding concepts of time
Piaget's Stages of Development
Jean Piaget identified stages of cognitive development:
| Stage | Age | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Sensorimotor | Birth-2 years | Learning through senses and movement |
| Preoperational | 2-7 years | Symbolic thinking, egocentric view |
| Concrete Operational | 7-11 years | Logical thinking about concrete objects |
| Formal Operational | 11+ years | Abstract thinking |
For CDA: Focus on Sensorimotor and Preoperational stages.
Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development
Lev Vygotsky emphasized:
- Learning happens through social interaction
- Scaffolding: Adults provide support and gradually reduce it
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The gap between what a child can do alone and with help
Supporting Cognitive Development
Create opportunities for:
| Skill | Activities |
|---|---|
| Problem-solving | Puzzles, building, cooking projects |
| Classification | Sorting by color, shape, size |
| Cause-effect | Science experiments, water play |
| Memory | Matching games, songs, routines |
| Sequencing | Story retelling, recipe cards |
| Math concepts | Counting, measuring, patterns |
Open-Ended Questions
Ask questions that promote thinking:
| Instead of... | Ask... |
|---|---|
| "What color is this?" | "Tell me about your picture." |
| "Is this a triangle?" | "What do you notice about this shape?" |
| "That's right!" | "How did you figure that out?" |
Process vs. Product
Focus on the process of learning, not just the end product:
- Value exploration and experimentation
- Celebrate effort and persistence
- Allow mistakes as learning opportunities
- Don't rush children to the "right" answer
Test Your Knowledge
According to Piaget, what stage of development are most preschoolers in?
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Test Your Knowledge
What does Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development" describe?
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B
C
D