In these early months, newborns are learning to feel comfortable in the outside world. They are working on regulating their eating and sleeping cycles and even their body temperature. What's most important for babies during this time is that they feel comfortable, safe, and secure. When they do, they are not only better learners, they're also better able to connect with their loved ones. All the skills newborns are developing help them achieve these two critical goals. Babies show an eagerness to learn about the things around them by turning toward sounds and looking at and tracking interesting sights. They learn to roll in order to get closer to you or a desired object. To communicate with you, they babble. They show their pleasure at seeing their favorite people by looking up and smiling, making sounds, and using gestures such as happily moving their arms and legs.

During this time, babies learn about cause and effect and how they can make things happen. They understand that they can show what they want by making special noises or using gestures and facial expressions. For example, they know that when they smile, mommy usually smi ack. They respond to people who talk or play with them by making sounds, faces, and gestures such as reaching out. They use all the skills they're developing to make an impact on and learn about the world. At seven months, children might shake a toy to make it rattle. At nine months, they might reach out their arms to show that they want you to pick them up.

Your child's understanding of cause and effect and his or her ability to make things happen is critical for developing an understanding of how the world works, an ability to communicate and connect with others, and a sense of competence and self-confidence.
 

Children this age are adept communicators. They show what they want or need through actions such as pointing at a toy or leading you by the hand to open a door for them. When they crawl or walk to a caregiver, tap an 's leg, or point to the book they want to read, they are using gestures to communicate a full sentence, such as "Mommy, I want you to read this to me." And when they roll a ball back and forth with an , they are learning about two-way communication and taking turns.
Effective communication skills are essential for feeling competent and forming relationships. The ability to have "conversations" using sounds and gestures allows babies to let others know what they're thinking and feeling. They may pick up an object and show it to you as if to say, "What's this?" This two-way communication is also important for their intellectual development, as their gestures are an attempt to figure things out. When s respond to children's communications, they help them learn and show them that what they're "saying" is important.
 

At this stage, toddlers use all their skills to become good problem solvers. hey begin to understand the patterns and actions they need to perform, and in what order, to reach a goal-this is known as "motor planning." Through imitation, they come to understand the functional use of objects and use that knowledge to be effective in the world. They learn that some behaviors lead to certain reactions, for example, that putting away toys will earn them a hug from mom or dad.
Becoming a competent problem solver is critical to child development in many ways, since it means that children understand how to get their needs met through action. For instance, they can find a loved one in the next room, or get a caregiver to pass them a toy they're reaching for.
Speech generally develops during this stage, but there is wide variation in when and how children develop language. While some children have hundreds of words and are quite verbal by the end of this stage, others rely more heavily on gestures and don't have as much spoken language. Don't worry too much about where your child falls in this continuum: As long as children are effective communicators via gestures and sounds, their language skills are likely to catch up.
 

Children at this stage use words and symbols such as pictures and objects to communicate and develop their own ideas. They can form mental images of their desires. For instance, they picture the cookie they are craving-what it looks and tastes like-then use their words to demand, "Cookie!" They enjoy make-believe play, such as using a spoon to "feed" a stuffed bear. They organize objects into meaningful patterns. Blocks that previously were simply for stacking now can be arranged to become a house for their toy animals.
Symbolic thinking is the key to true intelligence. It allows children to form their own ideas and use their imaginations. Whereas previously they needed to have a concrete object such as a ball in front of them to show that they wanted to play ball, now they can imagine the ball and use a symbol-such as the word "ball"-to describe their desire. This kind of symbolic thinking not only builds strong communication and language skills, it also allows children to explore and make sense of all kinds of feelings and ideas. This is essential to their social, emotional, and intellectual growth. They might work out ideas about good and bad by playing a "superhero" game, or learn to cope with separations by pretending to be mommy or daddy going to work.
 

At this age children are good abstract thinkers. They express their feelings and ideas in complex ways, both in everyday interactions and through pretend play. If you hand them the wrong toy, they may say "No want that!" or they might express mixed feelings about a new sibling by sending a baby doll back to the "hospital." Children at this age start to create stories that make logical sense. Their imaginations are so developed at this point that they can substitute symbols for real objects. A block can become a telephone, a scarf can become a kite, and a playground can become a fairyland.
Becoming a logical thinker is essential for high-level intellectual functioning and for all future development. Children are now rational beings who are beginning to understand the "why" of things. They know that they need to brush their teeth to keep them healthy and clean-but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't put up a fight. As they grow, their understanding of symbols becomes essential for reading and mathematics. Even more crucial, logical thinking helps them tell right from wrong so they can make good choices.
 

At Gymboree, children between the ages of three and five years eagerly explore group activities, refining not only motor skills but also vital thinking, language, communication, and social skills as well. This is also the time when children learn many self-help skills such as dressing and feeding themselves (though not always without a mess!). Their new cognitive ability to categorize and sort helps them understand the similarities and differences between people, which makes this a great time to help them learn about respecting differences and getting along with others.
The best way to promote your child's healthy development at this age is to encourage lots of exploration, stimulating your child's thinking about objects, people, and how the world works. To help your child become a thoughtful person and a life-long learner, ask many questions-and be ready to answer them as well, since kids this age are endlessly curious. To answer children's questions in a way they can understand, first ask what they think the answer might be. That gives you insight into their level of understanding so you can tailor your answers appropriately.