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Home > My Child > Ages and Stages > 6 to 12 Months > Intellectual Development


My Child
Intellectual Development: 6 to 12 months

Intellectual Development means being able to communicate, to think both creatively and abstractly, to pay attention, solve problems, and develop keen judgment and a lifelong readiness to learn.

Emerging Skills
  • Look for toys dropped to the floor
  • Respond to their own name
  • Find a partially hidden toy under a blanket or container; eventually they will uncover a toy that has been hidden
  • Identify familiar objects and people by pointing
  • Reach for toys out of reach
  • Repeat actions if they get laughter as a response
  • Transfer objects from one hand to another
  • Handle objects with more awareness of their dimensions
  • Imitate simple actions
  • Find out more about What to Expect from your baby, 6 to 12 months.


    Comfort

    Through the comfort and responsiveness of an adult, babies will learn how to handle their emotions and how to seek help when needed.

    Parents Can:
  • Encourage their baby to repeat a "performance" by laughing and clapping
  • Child Will:
  • Enjoy the sense of approval received from you
  • Repeat or continue a specific action if she sees a positive reaction, such as, laughter


  • Parents Can:
  • Spend time looking at family photos with their baby and describe who and what is in the pictures
  • Child Will:
  • Enjoy the close, one-on-one time spent with you looking at pictures
  • Learn to recognize familiar people and pets
  • Point to familiar people


  • Parents Can:
  • Provide a variety of containers for their baby during bath time
  • Child Will:
  • Obtain sensory pleasure and relaxation from water play
  • Practice pouring water in and out of containers, which helps motor coordination and control, and problem-solving skills


  • Play

    Through opportunities for play, babies will experience joyful, free, spontaneous moments of fun while learning about themselves and others.

    Parents Can:
  • Attach a toy by a string to their baby's highchair
  • Child Will:
  • Enjoy throwing a toy off his highchair tray
  • Begin to look for objects that drop to the floor
  • Learn to retrieve dropped objects by pulling on the string


  • Parents Can:
  • Show their baby a favourite toy and partially hide it under a scarf
  • Completely hide an object under a container while their baby is watching
  • Child Will:
  • Need opportunities to watch how objects disappear and appear
  • Practice searching for hidden objects


  • Parents Can:
  • Provide a variety of blocks to stack, knock over and rebuild, and balls to roll
  • Child Will:
  • Have an opportunity to explore objects as they move in space
  • Learn to anticipate cause and effect, for example, a tower can be knocked over and make a noise
  • Learn that he is the cause of making things happen, for example, building and rolling an object away


  • Teach

    Through routines and emotionally and physically safe and secure environments, babies can learn how to think, solve problems and communicate.

    Parents Can:
  • Provide a variety of interesting objects and boxes or containers for their baby to explore (for example, film canisters, balls, dish scrubbies, pots and lids)
  • Child Will:
  • Explore the objects and begin to have an understanding of functions, and dimensions (such as, size and shape; relations in space - in/out, on/off)
  • Learn that she has the power to make things change


  • Parents Can:
  • Play games that require simple imitation of actions, for example, clapping, shaking a toy or blowing a kiss
  • Child Will:
  • Learn to watch and reproduce an action
  • Learn that he can influence an adult if the adult follows his lead


  • Parents Can:
  • Encourage their baby to make music and dance with shakers, pots and pans
  • Child Will:
  • Enjoy making noise and hearing rhythms
  • Enjoy moving her body to different musical rhythms


  • Social Development: 6 to 12 months
    Emotional Development: 6 to 12 months
    Intellectual Development - Language: 6 to 12 months

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