Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/caring-for-the-little-ones-how-infants-and-toddlers-use-symbols/5014580/
There is a piece of cognitive development that we usually don't pay too much attention to with infants and toddlers: the use of symbols. Here's how my desk dictionary (TIME: Webster's New Deal Dictionary, 1978) defines symbol:1) Something that stands for something else; especially something concrete that represents or suggests another thing that cannot in itself be represented or visualized. 2) A letter, character, or sign used (as to represent a quantity, position, relationship, direction, or something to be done) instead of a word or group of words.
Our technological society is built around symbols. Reading and writing, mathematics, finance, and science all require that an individual is adept at using symbols.
In one sense, educators often make the mistake of trying to force children to use symbols too early, before they are ready for abstract concepts. We see this when well-meaning parents spend much time showing children flash cards of words, or teachers drill children on the alphabet. On the other hand, symbols are present in children's natural play almost from the beginning. If we understand how they use symbols, we can give them good opportunities to grow the skill.
Action Symbols
A newborn, of course, does not come into the ...