The quality of our lives is enhanced when all generations live and work together.

Intellectual skills include reasoning, hypothesizing, predicting, and the development of ideas. Intellectual skill development does not focus on memorization and right or wrong answers; instead, it reflects a quest for deeper understanding. Renowned early childhood educator Lilian Katz notes that our intellectual lives begin at birth as infants work to understand the world around them and the effects of their actions. The best curriculum in the early years values these intellectual skills and supports children to use them to pursue deeper learning. Children are encouraged to master basic academic skills in service of their intellectual pursuits.

My uncle Jerry taught me how to climb a tree. I was about four years old, maybe a little younger, and a big willow stood near my grandmother’s house. It had to have been over a hundred years old. My uncle and his siblings had climbed it themselves when they were my age. He showed me where all the footholds were on the trunk and which branches were sturdy enough for me to use to pull myself up into the tree. I remember feeling confident and proud of myself.