Object inquiry skills
A toddler participates in a game of looking closely at a set of toy animals, saying each animal’s name with a caregiver, and then putting the toy animal in an opening in a muffin pan.
[Invite a toddler to join you to play a new game. Place the empty muffin pan on the floor between you and the toddler. Keep the collection of toy animals close at hand. Point to items you name or describe.]
This is a pan. Our pan has holes. Let’s move a finger around a hole.
[Demonstrate moving your finger around one or several holes. Encourage the toddler to do the same.]
Our pan is empty. There is nothing in our pan. Each hole is empty.
[Put the toy animals in a line in front of the toddler.]
Here are some farm animal toys. Let’s look at each of the toy animals. We can talk about what an animal looks like and say the animal’s name. Each animal has its own name. Then you can put the toy animal in one of the holes in our pan.
What toy animal do you want to look at first?
[Encourage the toddler to pick up a toy animal of interest and share it with you. Point to and describe 1–2 physical characteristics of the animal.
Say the animal’s name and invite the toddler to repeat the name with you.
Then invite the toddler to put the toy animal in an opening of his/her choice in the pan. Say the name of the animal again as the toddler puts the toy in a pan opening. Encourage the toddler to repeat the animal’s name with you again.
Repeat this process for each of the animals, one by one, or until the toddler loses interest.
Periodically point out that the toddler is putting one animal in one hole in our pan.
Toward the end of the activity, draw the toddler’s attention to the pan and explain that the holes in our pan are getting full. There is an animal in many of the holes in our pan!]
We started our game with an empty pan. All of the holes in our pan were empty. Then you put a toy animal in each of the holes. Our pan is now full! We talked about the animals. Let’s say together the name of each toy animal in our pan.
[Point to each animal in the pan and encourage the toddler to say its name with you.]
Object inquiry skills
A toddler participates in a game of identifying a toy animal named by a caregiver and placing it in an opening in a muffin pan.
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Be Prepared: Place one toy farm animal in each muffin pan opening.
Invite a toddler to join you at a low table to play a new game. Introduce the muffin pan of toy farm animals and invite the toddler to take the animals out of the pan, one at a time. Name each animal as the toddler removes it from the pan. Encourage the toddler to repeat the name with you.
After all toy animals are removed from the pan, place two animals in front of the toddler. Point to and say the name of each toy animal. Then say the name of one animal in front of the toddler and invite the toddler to put this animal back in the pan. Example: “Let’s put the duck back in the pan. Here are two animals. Which one is the duck?” Provide verbal support as needed, perhaps describing characteristics of the animal you name or reminding the toddler of the next step. Examples: “Let’s look at the two animals. The duck is white and has orange feet. Can you find it?” “You are pointing to the duck. You know what a duck looks like! What do you do next with the toy duck?”
Keep the remaining toy animal on the table and add a second toy animal next to it. Repeat the process. Continue until all the openings are occupied or the toddler loses interest. Positively recognize the toddler’s efforts to look closely at the toy animals.
Look for ways to draw the toddler’s attention to the three skills promoted in the activity options and provide verbal support, if appropriate. (1) Ensure the toddler places a toy animal in an opening (not sitting between openings) and there is only one toy per opening. The emphasis on one toy animal in one pan opening can indirectly support early awareness of one-to-one correspondence, an important math skill described in the ELM Curriculum User Guide: Birth–36 Months. (2) Acknowledge the toddler’s fine motor skills in putting a toy animal in a pan opening. If appropriate, offer help with this task. Example: encourage the toddler to hold the bottom part of the toy when positioning it above an opening in the pan. A demonstration may be helpful. (3) Watch for opportunities to reinforce the idea that each animal has its own name and unique characteristics. Option 2 adds challenge to this skill by inviting a toddler to recall a name. Anticipate differences across toddlers in name recall and avoid approaching the task in ways that might prompt a toddler to feel this is a test. It is fine to say animal names if a toddler is uncertain or uninterested in speaking. Option 2 can be easily reworked into an Option 1 during the activity if a toddler seems frustrated or anxious.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials: regular-size muffin pan, 8 different toy farm animals in a basket
Place the basket of toy animals on a low table with the empty muffin pan. Invite 1–2 toddlers to practice placing the animals in the muffin pan and taking them out. Encourage toddlers to work with one animal at a time, recognizing that some may prefer to dump all animals out of the pan at once. Encourage toddlers to name the animals as they play.
Materials Needed: several regular-size muffin pans, several cups for chunky animals to fit inside, age-appropriate toy farm animals for muffin pans and cups
In addition to offering Options 1 and/or 2 for toddlers, provide cups and chunky animal toys for infants to manipulate. They may enjoy removing toy animals from cups.
© 2024 The Trustees of Purdue University | All Rights Reserved