Cognitive Development Activities: Shell Game and Shape Sorting Plan

This assignment outlines two practical activities designed to enhance cognitive development in young children. The first activity, a slow version of the shell game, aims to improve memory skills and the concept of object permanence in babies aged 8-12 months. It involves hiding a ball under one of two cups and encouraging the child to locate it, thereby fostering working memory, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving abilities. The second activity focuses on shape sorting for toddlers aged 2-3 years, with the goal of building an understanding of different shapes, improving concentration and observation skills, and developing problem-solving capacities. This involves sorting colorful shapes into a wooden cube, promoting dexterity, executive function skills, higher-order thinking, and hand-eye coordination. Both activities are linked to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) outcomes and include intentional teaching strategies to support children's learning and development.

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Plan Name for Babies: Slow version of shell game. Context: Using memory to locate the ball.
Experience Outline and Outcome / Goal / Link the EYLF
(what do you want the children to learn or develop)
Rationale
(reasons for your experience must be linked to an observation, include date of observation
Experience Goals:
 To upgrade cognitive skills
 To upgrade the idea of material permanence more precisely.
 To mature the thinking ability by using problem-solving method.
EYLF Outcomes:
3.1 children develop strong emotional and social behaviour
4.1 Children grow the temperaments for learning e.g. creativity, cooperation,
curiosity, confidence, persistence, enthusiasm, commitment, reflexivity and
imagination.
4.2 children grow skills like experimentation, problem solving, researching,
investigating, hypothesising and inquiry.
Observation Date: 12/05/2018
Age: 8 – 12 months
Observation:
Children were busy in playing a game named ‘peak a boo’ with their educator in
order to developing object endurance. In this phase children start to observe and grip
masked objects deliberately (Carlos, 2017). This game will help them in developing
further object stability and that help them in remembering about the hidden objects.
By using their working memory they need to focus on the ball. The cognitive
flexibility will increase when two cups are used as this will help them to know that
the can also be in another cup.
Materials/ Learning experience/environment set up/engagement ideas
(How will you present the experience and What will you say and do? Possible
questions you may use)
Identify 4 developmental priorities or learning outcome
(What should the child/ren achieve from this experience)
Corresponding Intentional Teaching Strategies
(What teaching skills will you use to involve the child/children in the
experience? How will you help the child/ren achieve the priorities or learning
opportunities, link to the principles & practices in the EYLF where appropriate)
Materials required: One small ball and two tiny cups
are needed.
1. Dispositional attributes (curiosity, resilience and
concentration)
1. A familiar ball can be used. Whenever the child found
the ball, the effort should be appreciated. However, the
child fail to discover the ball initially, he or she should be
encouraged with words like “you can do it” or “ can you
find it right here?”
EYLF Practice 2: Being open-mind to the children
EYLF Practice 5: Physical and social learning
environment ,that have concrete positive effect on
children’s learning behaviour , should be created.

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Experience setup:
 At first, the game will be played with one
child at a time.
 Two cups in a inverted position are kept in
front of the child.
 The balls are showed to the child and then
kept under a cup in front of the child.
 Child should be asked about the ball and then
he or she told to find the ball.
 Whenever, the child can easily find the ball
from the cup, the cup should be slowly
rotated after keeping the ball under it. Then
he or she will be asked to detect the cup
under which ball is kept.

2. Executive function skills (working memory,
cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control).
The children should be encouraged to find the ball by
using verbal command and hand indication to sustain
attention. The cup should be rotated very slowly so that
child can remember.
EYLF Practice 3: The learning should be planned and
executed via play.
3. Thinking skills (knowledge, application and ,
comprehension)
3. It should be explained that the ball is hidden under the
cup and to find it the cup must be removed. By this
technique the child will learn how to apply this trick in
other context.
EYLF Practice 4: Intentional teaching.
4. Fine motor skills (eye-hand coordination and
grasping)
4. The manipulation technique and handling criteria of the
cups should be explained.
EYLF Practice 4: Intentional teaching.

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Plan Name for Toddlers: Sorting shapes. Context: Learning about different types of shapes, and sort them accordingly.
Experience Outline and Outcome / Goal / Link the EYLF
(what do you want the children to learn or develop)
Rationale
(reasons for your experience must be linked to an observation, include date of observation
Experience Goals:
 For building idea about different type of shapes
 To build concentration and observation skill.
 To grow discrimination and sorting activity
 To build a problem -solving capacity
EYLF Outcomes:
3.1 children develop strong emotional and social behaviour
4.2 Children grow skills like experimentation, problem solving, researching,
investigating, hypothesising and inquiry.
4.3 Children convey and adjust their learning in various different context.
Observation Date: 12/05/2018
Age: 2 – 3 years
Observation:
Children were asking about different shapes to their teacher while playing with
different shapes. This helped the tutor to fix a plan about activity related to shape
sorting and that activity help in developing the logical learning skills and visual
perception and as a result they will develop the base of their reasoning capability
related to sorting activity ( Harris, 2013). This learning help them in identifying
differences and similarities with things used in every day life.
Materials/ Learning experience/environment set up/engagement ideas
(How will you present the experience and What will you say and do? Possible
questions you may use)
Identify 4 developmental priorities or learning outcome
(What should the child/ren achieve from this experience)
Corresponding Intentional Teaching Strategies
(What teaching skills will you use to involve the child/children in the
experience? How will you help the child/ren achieve the priorities or learning
opportunities, link to the principles & practices in the EYLF where appropriate)
Materials required: Different colourful shapes and
wooden sorting cube.
Experience setup:
 This activity should be performed for each child.
1. Dexterity skills (manipulation) 1. The process to manipulate and insert the shapes should
be demonstrated in order to help them in completing their
activity. It should be also taught the children how to
revolve the shape for insertion.
EYLF Practice 4: Intentional teaching.
EYLF Practice 2: Being responsiveness to children.
2. Executive function skills (working memory
inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility).
2. The tutor should ask the children about the number of
sides a shape has. His or her effort should be encouraged
to hold their concentration about learning.

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 The wooden cube should be kept before the
child.
 Various shapes are showed and explained to the
child.
 By inserting some shapes to particular places, the
explanation procedure should be executed.
 Finally, he or she should be motivated to insert
shapes in their particular places.
EYLF Practice 3: Planning and implementing learning
through play.
3. Higher order thinking skills (analyse and apply) 3. By showing the shapes they should be inspired to
notice the shapes carefully so that they can find the
same shape in the box and can insert the exact shape
to the right place. They should be also be inspired to
find out differences and similarities in different
shapes. They should be inspired to find new
positioning of the shapes and new methods of
problem solving by their own.
EYLF Practice 4: Intentional teaching.
4. Fine motor skills (hand-eye coordination) 4. The usage of the wooden shapes and wooden cubes
should be explained.
EYLF Practice 5: Physical and social learning
environment ,that have concrete positive effect on
children’s learning, should be created.

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References
Carlos, J. P. (2017). Object Permanence: The 6 Stages in Infant Growth and Development.
Retrieved May 20, 2018, from https://wehavekids.com/parenting/The-Six-Stages-of-
Object-Permanence
Catherine, M. (2015). The importance of hands-on science. Retrieved May 14, 2018, from
https://fun-a-day.com/the-importance-of-hands-on-science/
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Belonging, being
& becoming: the early years learning framework for Australia. Retrieved from
http://education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework
Fellows, J. & Oakley, G. (2014). Language, literacy and early childhood education (2nd ed.).
Melbourne: Oxford University Press
Gelman, S. A. (1998). Concept development in preschool children. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED418776.pdf
Harris, A. (2013). Matching and sorting are early stages of math development. Retrieved
May 20, 2018, from
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/matching_and_sorting_are_early_stages_of_math_deve
lopment