Cognitive skills play an important role in our everyday lives from early childhood until the day we die. In childhood, these skills are essential for navigating learning and education, and include skills like problem-solving, attention skills, working memory, reasoning, processing speed, and more.
Without these mental abilities, children will not be able to follow instructions, apply learned knowledge, or understand information—making it crucial for parents and guardians to understand the impact that these skills have on learning, and how to properly support their growth.
What Are Cognitive Skills, and Why Do They Matter for Learning?
In simple terms, cognitive skills are the mental abilities that allow children to solve problems, think, focus, and remember things. Within these are skills such as reasoning, attention, and working memory, which all support learning across all subjects through enabling a child to apply learnt knowledge to new situations, follow instructions, and understand the information they are taught.
According to research, key mental skills including cognitive flexibility and working memory are crucial for improved problem-solving abilities, and targeted cognitive training can improve performance in areas such as reading and math. Additional reviews have confirmed that children’s reading skills can be improved through cognitive stimulation programmes, where the core skill is exercised.
So, while we may be subconsciously aware of many cognitive skills as we move through life, it may be beneficial for parents and guardians to be more conscious of them and their importance for growing children. Once you understand what they are and their importance, you can take steps to improve these skills to help your child thrive in their learning.
How Do Cognitive Skills Develop at Different Childhood Stages?
From birth, your infant is working hard to develop cognitive skills like attention, memory, and focus. As they get older, these skills are built upon to allow them to move onto the next stage of improvement. Generally, these skills expand as a child ages, and more complex ways of thinking are introduced to encourage imagination and hypotheticals—but none of this is necessarily linear, and every child’s journey is going to be different in more ways than one.
Key cognitive skills development stages:
- Birth to two years – sensory experiences, interactions, and playing form early neural pathways, and the foundation of cognition is built on from birth. Recognition memory, attention, and focus develop as they become more aware of and interact with their environment
- Two to seven years – the preoperational stage of cognitive growth, where memory capacity and attention expand to allow a child to better follow multi-step instructions. Language is used to represent the surrounding world, and both simple reasoning and imaginative play help to link the child’s experiences
- Seven to 11 years – cognitive abilities become more logical and organised, and both attention and working memory become more flexible and sustained, allowing children to use numerous pieces of information at once to support their understanding of more complex tasks and take on more difficult problem-solving
- 11 years to late teens – higher-order reasoning and abstract thinking develop, allowing individuals to create and consider hypothetical scenarios, understand social complexity, and create future goals. Skills like flexible thinking, inhibition, and planning improve as executive function continues to be built upon
It’s important to remember that cognitive development is not linear, and it can look different in every child. Individual differences mean that one skill can improve rapidly at an early age, while another might fall behind as a child struggles with it. Some stages may take longer to get to for some children with learning difficulties, and differing parenting strategies could also play a role.
What Is the Link Between Cognitive Skills and Academic Learning?
The better a child’s cognitive skills are, the easier time they will have in academic learning and school readiness. Children who lack the key cognitive skills previously mentioned will have a much harder time keeping up in school and understanding new information, instructions, and tasks.
What Can Impact a Child’s Cognitive Learning?
Many factors can impact a child’s cognitive learning, including cognitive development activities, the environment they are growing up in, sleep quality and length, the amount of screen time they get, their level of physical activity, their diet and nutrition, and even socioeconomic factors such as household resources and quality of education.
Here’s a quick breakdown of these factors:
- Cognitive development activities – participating in these activities will improve cognitive abilities across different areas
- Home environment – stimulating and supportive environments have been linked to stronger cognitive outcomes
- Sleep quality and length – adequate sleep results in better memory, focus, problem-solving, and language across age groups
- Screen time – excess screen time has been linked with lower developmental scores, particularly in early childhood development
- Physical activity – increased physical activity and limited sedentary behaviour improve cognitive abilities
- Diet and nutrition – adequate nutrition is required for brain function and growth to continue and to reduce stress on the body
- Socioeconomic factors – environments and circumstances linked to lower socioeconomic households have been linked to cognitive development being impeded in childhood
How Can Parents Support Their Child’s Cognitive Learning at Home?
The good news is, parents and guardians can help to support their children’s cognitive skills at home through a variety of activities and routines, both inside the home and out. From modelling the attention and engagement you want to see in your child yourself, to providing stimulation when playing, reading to your child, and more, you can pave the path to success for your little one’s mental abilities.
Below are some easy ways to improve cognitive abilities in your children:
- Engage in active and thoughtful conversations daily
- Read to your child every day
- Provide activities that stimulate the brain (e.g., imaginative play, puzzles, storytelling)
- Have open-ended conversations that encourage curiosity and deeper thinking
- Encourage counting and numeracy at home
- Create a routine that provides enough sleep and physical activity
- Limit screen time and control technology use
- Model the behaviours you want to see (children copy!)
- Create a home environment that is predictable and stimulating
How Does Play Influence a Child’s Cognitive Learning?
Playing can influence a child’s cognitive learning by activating different parts of the brain and strengthening pathways related to problem-solving, attention, memory, and flexible thinking. It can also be fantastic for practising language and planning, as well as taking turns following rules and instructions, and building on social skills.
For children, playing is not about taking a break from a classroom—it is a whole new activity that strengthens cognition, provides physical activity, and allows a child to learn and explore their own minds in more ways than one.
What Are Common Challenges in Cognitive Learning and How to Address Them?
Some common challenges in cognitive learning include issues like memory and focus, limited working memory, auditory processing challenges, cognitive overload, learning difficulties, and distractions from technology and social media.
Addressing these issues can be a challenge in itself. However, providing early support for your child can help to put them on the right path and improve their odds of thriving in a school environment. By providing structured tasks and clear rules and routines, many of the above issues can be overcome.
Some challenges, such as learning difficulties and auditory processing challenges, may require a different approach with the help of professionals. Here at The Brain Workshop, we have the knowledge and facilities to not only improve key cognitive skills like working memory and auditory processing challenges, but we can also help you come up with a plan that will work for your unique child, whatever they might be struggling with.
Want to Help Your Child’s Cognitive Skills? Contact The Brain Workshop Today
Children need to develop cognitive skills from a young age in order to thrive in school and have a positive learning experience. Without strong skills, they will fall behind in education and overall neurodevelopment compared to their peers.
At The Brain Workshop, we want every child to thrive, and we have the means to help, whatever the issue might be. If you are ready to help your child unlock their full learning potential, why not contact us today, and discover personalised cognitive skills programmes and resources?
Learn more about us at the Brain Workshop, meet our team, check out events, or even read our FAQ. Or, if you want to learn more, check out pages on homework help, improving memory and attention span, academic performance, and improving reading and math skills.
