Development: Ages & Stages--How Abstract Thinking Develops

Babies are active participants in their learning and need to explore a variety of objects. Nurturing relationships support these explorations. Objects are more clearly remembered and understood. Thus, one activity this article suggests doing with a 12-month-old to encourage abstract thinking, is talking about how squeezing the bottle of ketchup gets the ketchup out! This helps the baby learn about the function of objects. Three- and four-year-olds are increasingly able to understand numeration as an abstract idea (i.e., the counting of objects is not affected by their size or shape). The article recommends helping them see that objects can be counted in any order; letting them discover that anything (musical beats, cookies) can be counted. In the kindergarten years, children's ability to pretend is taken to a high level of abstraction. They imaginatively use a simple object to represent something, and try on a variety of symbolic roles. The article recommends adding abstract props such as different size boxes or PVC piping to the dramatic play area to make the play more symbolic. This article is divided into the following sections: (1) "Spoon Goes Here!"--0 to 2 (Carla Poole); (2) "Look at My Barn!"--3 to 4 (Susan A. Miller); and (3) "It's a Walkie Talkie!"--5 to 6 (Ellen Booth Church).