Object inquiry skills
An infant engages in cause-and-effect play with a water mat.
Be Prepared: Fill the mat with warm water. Place the mat where tummy time typically occurs.
[This activity is for an infant who can lift his/her torso while on his/her tummy. Move the infant to his/her tummy to reach the mat.]
[Point to and describe the colored fish inside the mat. Show the infant what happens when the mat is pushed. Example: “Isabella, look at the fish in the water. Here is a fish. There is another fish by your hand. Let’s push on the water mat and see what happens.”]
Did the fish move inside our mat?
[Describe the infant’s reactions. Example: “You are smiling. You saw the fish move when I went ‘pat-pat’ on our mat.”
Demonstrate and describe a patting motion. Example: “Pat-pat. I am patting the warm water in our mat.”]
Do you want to pat our mat?
[Encourage the infant to pat the mat. Describe the infant’s action and what happens. Example: “You went ‘pat-pat’ on our water mat. The fish moved when you pushed the water mat.”
Invite the infant to pat the mat again. Describe the infant’s action and emphasize what happens. Examples: “Look, Isabella! You made the fish move! Your hand went ‘pat-pat’ and the fish moved.” “You pushed the mat and the fish moved. You are smiling and looking at the fish move inside the water mat.”
Repeat and extend the infant’s vocalizations. Example: “You said ‘ko ko.’ Yes, you are making the fish move in the water.”
Continue to describe the infant’s actions with the mat. Example: “Now you are pushing on the edge of the mat. The edge feels different than the rest of the mat.”
Hold the infant on your lap if there is fussing or other signals the infant wants a change. Example: “I think your fussy sounds say you are all done playing on your tummy. I am putting you on my lap. You can still see the fish.” Point to the water mat.]
Let’s say “bye-bye, fish.”
[Point to the mat and describe the infant’s play. Example: “Isabella, you pushed on the mat to make the fish move. You watched the fish move when you patted the water mat. Your word for the moving fish was ‘ko-ko’.”]
The activity plan suggests you repeatedly describe, with slightly different phrasing, the infant’s actions and what happens as a result of the infant’s actions. This repetition is intended to support the infant’s emerging awareness of cause and effect (cause: I pat the mat/water; effect: the fish moves).
Watch the infant’s gaze carefully and adapt your focus to the infant’s interest. Some infants may be more interested in the sensory feel of the water-filled mat and/or looking at what is inside the mat. An infant may maintain interest in the water mat for 15–60 seconds. It is not necessary to coax the infant back to the water mat if his/her attention shifts.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
An older infant engages in cause-and-effect play with a ball and toy dump truck.
Be Prepared: The toy truck needs a dump box that tips.
Sit on the floor with a mobile infant and invite him/her to play with a dump truck. Provide time for the infant to explore the toy truck, including its dump box and wheels. Then introduce the ball by putting it in the dump box of the truck. Describe your action. Emphasize the word “in.” Encourage the infant to tip the dump box. Draw attention to how the ball rolled out of the truck when the dump box was tipped. Emphasize the word “out.” Offer an enthusiastic description of how the infant caused the ball to roll out of the truck. Example: “Wow, Hilary! You tipped the back of the truck and the ball rolled out!”
Encourage the infant to repeat the cycle: put the ball in the truck, tip the back of the truck, and watch the ball roll out. Offer verbal guidance as appropriate. The infant may prefer that you do one of the actions, such as put the ball in the truck. Share delight with the infant each time the ball rolls out of the truck. Continue to emphasize that the ball rolls out of the truck when the infant tips back the truck bed. Some infants may be interested in pushing or pulling the truck to make it go.
As suggested in the activity plan, the infant may like you to participate in the routine by doing one of the actions, most likely the task of putting the ball in the truck. Infants will enjoy tipping the dump box and watching the ball roll out. Some infants will want to do the activity over and over. This repetition is beneficial to the infant’s awareness of cause and effect in the activity.
At this age, infants are not able to judge size. You may see an infant attempt to sit in or stand on the truck.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: baby gym with hanging toys, spinning top, vehicle toys, balls, tubes, blocks, push/ride toys
Arrange colorful toys hanging from a baby gym that nonmobile infants can hit or kick to make them move. Put out a spinning top, vehicle toys, and balls for early mobile infants to crawl to and explore. Arrange tubes and small balls, blocks to stack and push down, and toys to ride and push for mobile infants. Each of these materials supports an infant’s emerging awareness of cause and effect.
Materials Needed: dot markers, paper, salt, cookie tray
As a complement to the two activity options for infants, provide toddlers and preschool-age children with items that support awareness of cause and effect actions. Dot markers in bright colors are simple tools. Each time a child presses the dot marker down, a bright dot appears on the paper. To provide a sensory experience related to cause and effect, make a salt tray for children to use for drawing and scribbles. Pour one cup of table salt into a cookie tray or large art tray. Encourage children to draw or write with one finger. Older children can practice making shapes or letters.
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