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Chapter 7
Thinking Skills
A child develops thinking skills by having many opportunities to play
with the people and objects around him. Any activity that helps a child
learn gives him new ways to think about the world. This chapter gives
some ideas for activities that can help a child develop thinking skills.
Most children who can see begin to learn thinking skills at about the
following ages:
Between 6 and 9 months, a baby
learns that objects still exist — even
when he no longer sees, touches,
hears or smells them. For example,
if he drops a cup, he knows it has
not disappeared but is now lying on
the ground.
At about 9 months,
a baby begins to
copy what others do
(imitation).
Between 9 and 12 months,
a baby learns that he can
make things happen.
For example, he learns
that if he hits a cup
with a spoon, it
makes noise. He
also begins to
solve simple
problems.
At about 1 year,
a baby can
match 2 objects
that are alike.
Later, he will
learn to sort
and count
objects.
A child who cannot see well can also learn these skills. With some
help, he will learn them only 3 to 6 months later than a child who can see.