This lovely video shared to FB Reels by Julie Anne Boyer brings the whole idea to life. It’s a whole collection of safe and well-supervised, “mini-me” examples.
What other safe and appropriate household tasks does your little one enjoy “helping” with?
Will it take longer and be less efficient? Also yes. But efficiency isn’t the point here.
Connection and apprenticeship are.
Safety comes first, of course, so mind the butcher knives and glassware… but can your toddler help unload plastic bowls? Transport laundry items? Sweep? Absolutely.
And while these are great choices when it comes to playtime, don’t overlook daily opportunities for your little one to participate alongside you in the real world.
There’s a reason that baby dolls, toy kitchen sets, and play vacuum cleaners are all popular sellers.
That’s because your toddler’s imaginary play begins close to home…. Not as an astronaut or princess, but as the person they know best (and adore most): YOU.
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Your little one doesn’t require dozens of gift wrapped boxes.
And buyer beware: they’re likely to be just as thrilled with the box as the item inside.
This little guy and his favorite plaything were shared by mariavmcauley on TT.
Will it help them to think, build, imagine, create, or problem solve?
If the answer is yes, you have a winner.
If the answer is no, leave it on the shelf.
Here’s how:
As you consider an item, take a moment to brainstorm a list of its potential uses.
Is it something that your child might, with a little imagination, use in multiple types of play?
Does it lend itself to sustained engagement?
This holiday season I want to help both your baby and your credit rating… and assure you that this is a case where LESS can actually be more.
When purchasing toys, focus on quality, not quantity.
Parents participating in the study were asked, meanwhile, to estimate the number of toys available in their homes. Some self reported 90 or more.
90 different choices!
They stayed focused longer and used the toys available to them in more imaginative ways.
Which is just what we want, developmentally.
In a 2018 study, researchers observed two different toddler play settings - one with 16 toys and the other with only 4.
What they found was that the children presented with fewer options actually engaged more deeply in play.
As Christmas approaches, grown ups often feel pressured to make the big day extra special - which can lead not only to over spending, but to more gifts than your little one can meaningfully engage.
Parents/grandparents: this post could save your family hundreds of dollars.
Did you know it’s possible for young children to have TOO MANY toys? 🧸 🎁
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This miniature scientist was shared to IG by oykkubudak.
By the way, the Turkish caption asks if this is the way to wear socks?
While this method covers part of her foot, the heel is still exposed, so she tries again, draping it over the full length of her foot, mimicking the coverage and visual appearance of a successful effort.
Don’t you just love the way this video provides a window on her thinking?
Note how each of her hypotheses differs.
Our hero seems to know (from past experience) that the process begins at the toes, but when pressing the sock into them doesn’t work she moves progressively down the foot - next wrapping it around her foot just below the toes.
She clearly understands their purpose and knows they wrap around her feet. But exactly how, remains a bit of a mystery.
So it’s time for the scientific method.
For your baby the whole world is a puzzle waiting to be solved. 🧩
Check out this clever little one as she combines background knowledge and trial and error in an effort to put on a pair of socks.
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What a clever and telling response! I can’t help but think that in the moments after this video some new vocabulary was introduced.
Where does/did your child use overextension to describe things?
You’ll note that $13 is not a random or outlandish response.
He knows that the situation calls for a quantity and a unit of measure. The word “inches”isn’t a part of his linguistic toolbox just yet… but dollars is.
“How big is it?” Mom asks.
Our hero’s brilliant response: “Thirteen dollars.”
It’s a wonderful example of overextension - and window on his growing language development.
There’s a lot of language to learn as a toddler - so it’s not uncommon for young children to generalize use of the words they DO know to make up for those they don’t.
I loved watching this little guy (shared to IG LeannePearson, shown here at 26 months) as he measures a chair with a tape measure.
Does your toddler call every animal a dog? Or call the moon a ball?
Both are examples of a perfectly normal toddler behavior known as overextension.
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The trick is to think like Goldilocks - looking for toys that are neither far too simple for your child, nor far too sophisticated - but just right (allowing their meaningful use both now and for the foreseeable future).
What types of toys have you found that meet these criteria?
As you shop for toys, consider your choices carefully… assessing first for safety and then for how and whether they may lend themselves to different and increasingly sophisticated uses as your child grows. When you can identify multiple uses, you’ve generally found a winner!
He’s not quite ready to sort the by size, but that doesn’t make the activity any less meaningful. It’s simply a matter of matching the task at hand to his developmental readiness.
With the help of his parents, he’s practicing his hand-eye coordination, stacking the rings in the order presented by his adult partner. (And working on his clapping to boot!)
At the earliest stages, your baby may simply grasp the rings and explore them with their hands and mouths - which is a perfectly appropriate starting point.
This sweet little guy, shared to IG by aren.sanjari - is in between these two extremes.
That’s a pretty sophisticated skill… and not where the toy’s youngest users are likely to begin.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the toy should be withheld for later.
