As a mom, I've learned that babies and toddlers can rise up to a challenge. Some activities that I thought might be "too difficult" for my 21-month old daughter, L, turned out to be great learning opportunities. She's surprised me with how much she can accomplish at such a young age. Now, I am not saying that I think my 21-month old is gifted or advanced, I just think that when babies and toddlers are offered something challenging, they enjoy exploring and figuring out how to make it work and ultimately be successful. This concept of offering something you may think is a little bit beyond a child's ability is a great reminder for teachers, too. Give kids a chance, challenge them a little bit, and they might surprise you!
I've previously posted about "The Power of Sensory Play." To quickly recap, sensory play is any activity that stimulates the five senses (touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing). Sensory development is so important since we use our senses to observe and learn.
A baby is born with a brain full of neurons. By exploring the world around them through their five senses, they’re able to develop pathways, or connections, between those neurons. The more opportunities or experiences they’re offered to make connections, the stronger the pathway becomes. (Fun fact: If a pathway isn’t used, it can actually totally disappear!) Sensory play helps to build these connections in the brain, which eventually leads to a child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
One way I've recently made sensory play more challenging for L is by introducing new tools for her to explore. (Bonus: sensory play is now helping to develop fine motor skills, too!) I recently made L a Halloween-themed "Jell-O Dig" (explained in this post). This time, I gave her some fun tools to use. She loved the tweezers! She surprised me with how successful she was able to use them. She wanted to hold them the rest of the day! It was fun watching her pick up different little objects around the house and yard. Little did she realize, by using the tweezers, she was helping to strengthen her hand muscles. By becoming comfortable using a hand tool, she was helping to prepare herself to eventually learn how to use scissors and perform other dexterity-focused tasks (like tying shoes).
What are some unique ways you've challenged your baby or toddler? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!
Thanks for reading! I hope you continue to follow along to find (and share!) inspiration, information, and innovation! :-) Have a great weekend everyone!
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