How Kids Learn
Babies are quick studies-and parents are cramming them with Mozart and French lessons
TOYS THAT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE
Toy reviewer Joanne Oppenheim recommends:
Enchanted Garden Playmat (Manhattan Toy, $60). Infant and up. There's a sunflower that turns with a rachet sound, and a peek-a-boo ladybug.
Space Coaster (Anatex, $16). Ages 18 months and up. A new shape for the classic wire maze.
Magic Sound Animal Blocks (Small World, $10). Ages 2 and up. Match the animal halves, and sheep bleat, cows moo.
Developing an intellect
As a child's brain develops, it becomes possible to acquire new skills.
BIRTH
At less than a pound, a new-born brain is one third the size of an adult's, and trillions of its neural connections remain incomplete.
3 MONTHS
Brain synapses reach maximum density in areas that control vision. Babies distinguish colors well and track movement smoothly.
6 MONTHS
Growth in the brain are that makes it possible to understand and produce speech is in full swing. Babies start imitating sounds.
12 MONTHS
The hippocampus, seat of memory, has matured enough for toddlers to be able to recall events that happened a few minutes earlier.
18 MONTHS
The child's longer attention span and ability to plan and carry out a course of action hint at the emerging talents of the prefrontal cortex.
24 MONTHS
With increaed brainpower at their disposal and experience navigating the world, toddlers can find hidden things on their own.
With Deanna Lackaff
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