The first three years of life are an amazing time for the human brain. When you support the developing brain, you are building a strong foundation for future school and life success. This lesson will introduce you to important concepts about how the brain develops in infants and toddlers. It will end with suggestions about what you can do to help make sure all children meet their potential.

Infants and toddlers usually follow predictable patterns in how they grow and learn. This lesson will help you understand typical cognitive development, or how infants and toddlers develop thinking skills. You will learn about developmental milestones and what to do if you are concerned about a child’s development.

Your relationship with the infants and toddlers in your care is one of your strongest teaching tools. This lesson will focus on interacting with children to support play, exploration, and learning. You will discover how teachable moments and communication can make the most of every routine.

The ways in which you set up your learning environment and materials help set the stage for children’s cognitive development. This lesson will highlight environments and materials that promote infants’ and toddlers’ cognitive development. It will also share information about supporting the needs and backgrounds of all infants and toddlers in your care.

It is important to provide infants and toddlers with a variety of age-appropriate experiences and activities. This lesson describes how you can engage young children in play that promotes their cognitive development and addresses the needs of all learners.