{"id":21702,"date":"2026-07-17T06:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T06:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glendaleschool.org\/in\/?post_type=glossary&#038;p=21702"},"modified":"2026-07-21T04:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:46:41","slug":"what-is-cognitive-development-why-is-it-important-in-early-childhood","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/glendaleschool.org\/in\/glossary\/what-is-cognitive-development-why-is-it-important-in-early-childhood","title":{"rendered":"What is Cognitive Development? Why is it important in early childhood?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"21702\" class=\"elementor elementor-21702\" data-elementor-post-type=\"glossary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-64ff3377 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"64ff3377\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cb8daa0 exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"cb8daa0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f8096bf exad-sticky-section-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4f8096bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Key Takeaways<\/b><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive development is how a child learns to think, reason, remember, and make sense of the world, and it begins from the moment they are born.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The definition of cognitive development goes well beyond academic performance. It shapes curiosity, problem-solving, language, and emotional intelligence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NEP 2020 recognises that over 85% of a child\u2019s brain development occurs before age six, making cognitive development during early childhood one of the most critical windows we have.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has over 8 crore children in the 3\u20136 age group. How we support their early development will shape outcomes across education, health, and the economy for decades.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Play-based, inquiry-driven environments are not \u2018nice to have\u2019. Research consistently shows they produce stronger cognitive outcomes than rote-based early schooling.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When choosing among the best CBSE schools in Hyderabad, the quality of the early years programme matters as much as the board or curriculum name.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>Introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about the last time you watched a toddler completely absorbed in stacking blocks, or a five-year-old asking \u201cwhy\u201d about absolutely everything. It is quite easy to see this as play. But what is actually happening is something far more significant: a brain making connections at a speed it will never quite match again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those first few years are not a waiting room for \u201creal learning\u201d to begin. They are where the foundations of every skill a child will ever build, reasoning, language, memory, and problem-solving, are laid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is what cognitive development actually means, why it matters so enormously in the early years, and what to look for in a school that takes it seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Cognitive Development? A Simple Definition<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cognitive development definition, in its simplest form, is the process by which children develop their ability to think, learn, remember, and understand the world around them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it also extends beyond just thinking skills. It encompasses:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Information processing: how a child takes in, organises, and makes sense of what they experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Language and communication: how they learn to express thoughts and understand others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memory: how they store and retrieve what they have learned.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problem-solving: how they approach challenges and figure out solutions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reasoning: how they begin to understand cause and effect, patterns, and abstract ideas.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Does Cognitive Development During Early Childhood Matter So Much?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NEP 2020 acknowledges that over 85% of a child\u2019s brain development occurs before the age of six. Which means that by the time most children have finished their first year of formal school, the majority of their foundational brain architecture is already in place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, why does cognitive development during early childhood carry such long-term weight? Research consistently shows that children with strong early foundations are more likely to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perform better across all subjects as they progress through school.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Show greater resilience and adaptability when faced with new challenges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop stronger language, literacy, and numeracy skills.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have higher self-esteem and social confidence in peer environments.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Are the Stages of Cognitive Development in Early Childhood?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychologist Jean Piaget\u2019s model remains the most widely referenced framework for understanding how cognitive development unfolds during early childhood. Here is a practical overview of the early stages:<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><b>Stage<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><b>Age Range<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><b>What It Looks Like<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sensorimotor<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birth \u2013 2 years<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baby drops a spoon to hear it fall; searches for a hidden toy<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preoperational<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 \u2013 7 years<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child asks \u201cwhy\u201d constantly<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Concrete Operational<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7 \u2013 11 years<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child follows board game rules; solves multi-step maths problems<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The preoperational stage, ages 2 to 7, is where the richest early childhood opportunity lies. This is when children are most responsive to language-rich, play-based, and exploratory environments. What happens or does not happen in these years leaves an impression that schooling alone cannot fully compensate for later.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Can You as Parents Support Cognitive Development?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news is that <\/span><b>c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ognitive development is not a passive process. It responds directly to the environment, interaction, and experience. Here is how you can support cognitive development.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talk with your child constantly, name objects, describe what you are doing, and ask open-ended questions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read aloud together, not just for literacy, but for comprehension, imagination, and the habit of sustained attention.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allow productive struggle, resist solving every problem for your child. Let them wrestle with a puzzle or figure out why the tower fell. That process is where thinking actually develops.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose toys that invite exploration, such as blocks, sorting games, and open-ended materials, which do more for cognitive growth than screen-based entertainment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Which Schools in Hyderabad Are Getting This Right?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When parents in Hyderabad begin looking at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/glendaleschool.org\/in\/learning\/cbse\/\"><b>best CBSE schools in Hyderabad<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the conversation usually centres on board results, infrastructure, and extracurricular activities. Rarely does anyone ask: \u201cWhat does your early years classroom actually look like at 9 in the morning?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That question matters more than most parents realise. Glendale International School is one of the schools in Hyderabad that takes the early learning environment seriously. Among <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/glendaleschool.org\/in\/hyderabad\/glendale-academy\/\"><b>schools in Suncity<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and across Hyderabad, Glendale has structured its curriculum around inquiry-led, concept-based learning, a research-based approach linked to stronger cognitive development outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you are exploring <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/glendaleschool.org\/in\/\"><b>international schools in Hyderabad<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for their global curriculum or their structured progression, the question to ask any school remains the same: Does the early years environment encourage a child to think, question, and explore, or simply to sit and absorb? The first produces thinkers. The second produces test-takers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about Glendale\u2019s approach to early learning and to book a campus tour, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/glendaleschool.org\/in\/enquiry\/\"><b>enquire now<\/b><\/a><b>!<\/b><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f487301 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"f487301\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0d09bd2 exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"0d09bd2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-5943818 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"5943818\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-59a1641 exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"59a1641\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-989e172 exad-sticky-section-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"989e172\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">FAQs<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5384403 adm-faq exad-sticky-section-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-accordion\" data-id=\"5384403\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-8751\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8751\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\"> What is cognitive development in simple terms?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-8751\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-8751\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive development is how a child\u2019s thinking, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities grow over time.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-8752\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8752\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\"> Why is cognitive development during early childhood so critical?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-8752\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-8752\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because the brain is developing faster in the first six years than at any other point in life. Strong cognitive development during early childhood creates the neural foundations for language, reasoning, emotional regulation, and academic learning, and the gaps formed early are harder to close later.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-8753\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8753\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">What are the signs of healthy cognitive development in a young child?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-8753\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-8753\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key signs include: sustained curiosity and the habit of asking \u201cwhy\u201d; recognising patterns and solving simple problems; and showing growing language and communication skills. It is important to realise that every child grows at their own pace.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-8754\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"4\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8754\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">How do I choose between international schools in Hyderabad and the best CBSE schools in Hyderabad for my young child?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-8754\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"4\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-8754\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best ones offer strong early childhood programmes; the curriculum name matters less than the pedagogy. Look for schools that use play-based and inquiry-driven learning in the early years and have trained early childhood educators.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is cognitive development in simple terms?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"<p><span style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\">Cognitive development is how a child\\u2019s thinking, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities grow over time.<\\\/span><\\\/p>\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why is cognitive development during early childhood so critical?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"<p><span style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\">Because the brain is developing faster in the first six years than at any other point in life. 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