Module 13 : Intellectual
Development
Student Objectives:
To learn about brain development and intelligence
To learn how to enhance intellectual development
To learn about various childhood intelligence concepts
To understand the intellectual development of children
in middle childhood
To understand the intellectual development of children
in late childhood
13.1 Introduction
Intellectual development is another type of
development that children go through, and it
is closely related to cognitive development.
Most people, especially parents, often take note when their
child smiles, which is a part of emotional development, or
grows more significant, which is part of physical development.
However, most do not notice all of the signs of intellectual
development. The first year of a child’s life is filled with
growth, and the brain goes through several periods in which
effective stimulation is required for proper development.
Through encouragement and growth, parents and carers will see
their children go through these stages of intellectual
development, and this module will cover those stages from
birth to adolescence.
13.2 Brain Development
As you have learned from other modules,
brain development begins in the womb, and it
continues to develop throughout childhood
and adolescence.
The brain development of an infant is the key to their
intellectual development. During the first years of their
life, the input that the brain receives, such as verbal
language or visual stimuli, is necessary for brain growth.
Without this, the child’s skills, such as speaking ability or
vision, can become impaired. It is the responsibility of the
caregiver to ensure that they are pushing the brain towards a
healthy development process. One way to do this is to allow
the infant to explore their world.
13.3 Intellectual Development from
Birth to Six Months
One of the hallmarks of a baby is their cry.
Babies cry for many reasons, including when
they are in pain or hungry. Babies also coo
and babble.
When babies do this, it shows that the child is gaining the
skills they require for communication later in life. As we
covered in an earlier module, infants will forget about
anything that they cannot see in their field of vision, but
they do enjoy exploring, and they often put items in their
mouth. Infants will also follow any object that moves with
their eyes and will look around at objects nearby. They will
also turn their heads to find the source of any sounds they
find to be interesting. All of these actions are signs that
the child in intellectually developing as they should be.
13.4 Intellectual Development from
Seven to 12 Months
As a child enters the period between seven
and 12 months, they will start communicating
with simple words, such as “mama” or “papa,”
but they can’t associate meanings with the
words at this point.
They will also do things like wave “bye-bye.” Children also
learn about cause and effect, and they may or may not repeat
actions that elicit a certain response.
For instance, they might shake a rattle and like the noise, so
they will keep shaking the rattle. Or, they might touch
something hot, realize that it hurts, and never touch the
object again.
At this point, infants will also understand that just because
they cannot see an object, that doesn’t mean that they do not
exist. They will also still explore the world by putting
things in their mouth. These are all things that further show
that intellectual development is occurring.
Activities to Promote Intellectual Development
At this age, a parent or carer can start promoting the
intellectual development of the child, and responsive
caregiving is ideal for stimulating a child’s brain
development. Activities such as rocking, holding, and singing
to a baby show love and warmth. Reading to a baby will help
them to develop languages, and giving the child bright toys
promotes visual stimulation, and if the toys are placed
outside of the child’s reach, they will also get physical
stimulation.
Another activity that can promote intellectual development at
this age is to place a mirror in front of the child so they
can look at themselves. A young infant will not realize that
they are looking at themselves, but they will be amused by the
baby they see in the mirror. However, older infants will start
to recognize themselves.
Musical toys are excellent for auditory feedback, and these
toys also cement the lesson of cause and effect. Books with
different textures also help to promote intellectual
development, as it promotes exploration, which is essential
for brain development and ultimately helps an infant reach
their developmental milestones.
13.5 Intellectual Development from
Two to Three Years Old
By the time a child reaches the age of two
to three, they will have a large expansion
when it comes to their intelligence.
At this point, they are expanding their intellect by playing
and exploration, but instead of being given toys or
opportunities by mum and dad, this is all self-directed.
Language is also rapidly expanding in these toddler years, and
children are able to hold short conversations with adults.
They can also spot the similarities between two objects, and
they can use basic pronouns correctly. By the time a child
turns three, they should be grouping items together, know who
they are, and can imitate adults both in and out of play.
Activities to Promote Intellectual Development
According to research done by the World Health Organisation,
children who do not have an attachment to a consistent
caregiver can suffer later in life, so it is also important to
create bonds with them.
Adults can also promote intellectual development by giving the
child space to explore and offering toys that are age-
appropriate for them to play with. Finally, ensuring that a
child has a healthy diet and good nutrition is imperative in
the development of language.
FACT
Intellectual development is another type of growth that
children experience. It is similar to cognitive development,
though it is not as noticeable as a child’s physical or
emotional growth.
Source: CPD
13.6 Intellectual Development from
Three to Seven Years Old
The time between three years old and seven
years old is often fascinating to parents
and carers, as they see these children as
starting to “get it.”
This most often happens in the subjects of time, speech,
reading, and reasoning.
The Concept of Time
Children from the age of three to seven make great strides
when it comes to their intellectual development, and one of
the concepts they must learn is the concept of time. As a
three-year-old, the concept of past and future is understood,
albeit limited. For example, events that occur in the past –
any past – are often recognized as “yesterday.” Similarly, any
event that occurs in the future ( near or far) is identified
as “tomorrow.” However, by the time a child is four years old,
they have a more in-depth understanding of what the past and
future means as well as various seasons. Children will also
understand morning, afternoon, and night, and they will
continue to develop throughout their childhood.
The Concept of Speech
The growth of vocabulary and the ability to communicate with
others is one of the most noticeable changes that a child goes
through between the ages of three and seven. Three-year-olds
will often still speak in simple sentences and can even use
words that people outside of the family don’t understand. By
the time they are four years old, they can have conversations
with both adults and their peers and can tell stories and
speak in longer sentences. Over the next few years, the speech
ability continues to improve, and by the time they are seven,
they should be able to express themselves quite well, and they
can understand stories that are quite detailed.
The Concept of Reading
When a child is three, they will likely have a favorite book
that they want their parent or carer to read over and over
again. Some of them have likely even memorized these books and
will attempt to “read” the book to mum and dad. It is not
until the age of five that children begin to have a grasp of
how phonics works, and they will begin recognizing simple
words. Most children will begin to read by the time they are
six or seven. One of the most important first steps in the
acquisition of phonological skills is the ability to
discriminate between different sounds.
Taking children for nature walks and listening to various
environmental sounds is an important part of this process.
The Concept of Reasoning
Reasoning is an innate ability that allows a person to utilize
existing knowledge to form opinions about conceivable
outcomes. This concept dramatically increases during the years
from three to seven, and by the time a child is seven years
old, they regularly use reasoning to draw to conclusions.
Children can also understand that everyone perceives the world
differently and that things are not always as they appear.
Take a Quick Recap Test
13.7 Intellectual Development from
the Age of Eight to 12
Though intellectual development slows from
between the ages of eight to 12, that
doesn’t mean it doesn’t still occur.
In fact, there are a number of concepts that children discover
when on the path to intellectual development including the
following:
The Concept of Socialisation
Between the ages of eight and 12, children experience more
interest in socialization, which gives them new opportunities
to develop their intellect. Children also develop social
concepts, such as fairness, ethics, and justice, and they
develop more of a sense of self. This is important for
intellect, as they will soon be entering puberty, where their
ethics will be tested.
The Concept of Communication
By the time a child reaches the age of eight, they are quite
capable of expressing themselves verbally. A few years later,
by 12, many are able to produce well thought-out, intelligent
writing, too. This is significant for many kids, as again,
they are on the edge of adolescence where life gets confusing,
so writing poetry or keeping a journal, which helps them cope,
is common in children of this age.
The Concept of Character
Though many parents and carers believe that it is surprising,
kids at this age will often find themselves having to make
decisions about drugs and sex. The decisions they make, of
course, often comes down to their character. The character
will come into play based on the ethics that these children
have grown up with, and the confidence they have in reasoning.
The children who have been given the proper tools, such as
solid self-esteem and an excellent ethical upbringing, will be
able to make more right decisions than wrong ones.
Conclusion
Intellectual development is a natural process that all
children go through, and as with the other forms of
development we have looked at throughout this course, it is a
step-by-step process. As children move through the stages of
intellectual development, there are ways that parents and
carers can enhance this development.
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