A researcher indicates that the day-to-day interactions with people and the environment influence the children’s brain structure and functions. Providing children opportunities for sensory and gross motor development develops their brain neurons linked to cognitive development which are important for later academic success.

By the end of their first year, infants use the thumb and index finger opposably in a well-coordinated pincer grasp and their ability to manipulate objects greatly expands. The one-year-old toddler can pick up raisins, turn doorknobs and open and close small boxes.

At 10 months old, infants who are capable of pulling a cloth to retrieve a toy are more likely to understand the sequence of steps when they observe someone else performing the same goal-directed actions.