Executive function
A young infant participates in guided play that supports persistence in exploring a novel fish toy.
Be Prepared: Use a toy fish with textured scales that provide tactile and visual stimulation when manipulated.
[Place the infant on his/her tummy. Sit close to the infant so he/she can see your face and hear your voice.]
[Animate the fish toy by “swimming” the fish slowly from side to side, about 12 inches from the infant.]
Look at this fish! You can reach for the fish. You can play with the fish.
[Describe the infant’s initial actions. Example: “Christopher, you are holding your head up and reaching for the fish. This is a big job for you!”
Carefully position the toy within reasonable reach of the infant. Do not immediately place the toy in the infant’s hand(s). The intent is to provide a small challenge for the infant to reach the toy. If the infant shows signs of frustration in reaching the toy, offer reassurance with encouraging words and a pat on his/her back. If frustration in reaching the toy continues, move the fish toy closer to the infant so it is easier to reach.
Describe the infant’s persistence and actions. Example: “You reached for the fish. You got it! Now you are playing with the fish.”
Use your finger and thumb to make a sound with a scale. Then encourage the infant to feel the textured scales. Example: “Listen to the sound this makes. You can touch it, too!”
Respond to vocalizations and facial expressions. Example: “You are smiling at the fish. You are touching the fish. I think you like listening to sounds you can make with the fish!”
Stay focused with the infant for as long as he/she wishes to explore the toy. It is not necessary or appropriate to coax the infant to continue the activity.]
[Smile and make eye contact with the infant as you offer a brief summary of the infant’s actions. Example: “You reached for the fish. You held the fish. You touched different parts of the fish. You had fun playing with the fish toy!”]
When you first show the fish toy to the infant, look carefully at his/her reactions to determine a reasonable distance between the toy and the infant’s hand. Provide a small amount of challenge for the infant to reach for and grasp the toy. Too much distance may lead to inappropriate frustration or disinterest. Too little distance, such as immediately handing the toy to the infant, defeats the activity’s goal of promoting the infant’s persistence.
Also, watch and support the infant’s exploration of a textured scale(s) or other toy features. In addition to the textured scales, the colorful toy has many features that may appeal to an infant. These include the ring, eyes, squeaky tail, small pictures hidden under the scales, and contrast of textured (on top) and plain (on bottom) surfaces. A young infant may show interest in one or several features, but probably not all features. Draw attention to the scales, as suggested in the activity plan, but do not attempt to point out all interesting aspects of the toy. If the infant tries to move a scale, give time for the infant to do this on his/her own. Offer assistance if the infant seems unclear about what to do. Your descriptions of the infant’s actions with the toy promote persistence in exploring the fish.
Extra support
Enrichment
Executive function
An older infant participates in guided play that supports persistence in moving toward, grasping, and exploring a novel fish toy.
Be Prepared: Use a toy fish with textured scales that provide tactile and visual stimulation when manipulated.
Sit or kneel several feet from a mobile infant. Softly call the infant’s name, explain that you have a fish toy, and manipulate the fish in a swimming movement to draw the infant’s attention. Invite the infant to move toward you to see (or get) the toy fish. Slowly “swim” the fish from side to side as the infant gets closer to you. Describe the infant’s persistence and progress. Examples: “I see you are coming to get this pretty fish! You are working hard to get here.” “You are almost here!”
When the infant is within close proximity, hold the fish a reasonable distance from the infant so there is a slight challenge for the infant in reaching for and grasping the toy. Offer verbal encouragement. Example: “Your hand is almost touching our pretty fish.” After securing the toy, the infant may shift his/her position to sit on the floor or may want to sit on your lap.
Encourage the infant to hold and manipulate the fish. After a brief period of independent exploration of the toy, encourage the infant to touch the textured scales if he/she has not discovered these. Show how to flip a scale to see a hidden picture. Invite the infant to flip a scale. Offer an enthusiastic response to lifting a scale and draw attention to the small picture hidden under the scale. Offer another demonstration of how to flip a scale to see a hidden picture if it seems the infant is not clear on what to do.
Acknowledge the infant’s discoveries of the toy’s features. Example: “You are squeezing the tail! The tail is making a squeaking sound. You are laughing!” Respond to the infant’s vocalizations and facial expressions.
Support the infant’s exploration by talking and maintaining your focus on his/her play. Describe the infant’s actions. Example: “You crawled to me and got the fish! You are smiling. You are touching parts of the fish.”
Conclude the activity after several minutes or when the infant begins to lose interest. Acknowledge the infant’s persistence. Example: “You scooted to me to get the fish toy! We found some neat parts of our toy. You liked the squeaking sound of the fish tail. You laughed a lot!”
Look carefully at the infant’s reactions to the toy at three key points: when you first show the toy, when the infant tries to reach the toy with his/her hand, and when you demonstrate how to flip a scale to see a hidden picture. Each of these points offers an opportunity to adjust your actions so the infant experiences an appropriate amount of challenge in pursuing his/her interests. As indicated in the Option 1 plan, too much challenge may lead to inappropriate frustration or disinterest. Too little challenge defeats the activity’s goal of promoting the infant’s persistence.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: jumbo ocean animal toys, tub with a thin layer of room temperature water
Place several ocean animals in the tub with a small amount of water. Invite two infants to play with the materials. Talk with the infants about their discoveries and what they are doing with the toys. Infants will likely explore the wet toys with their mouths. Remove the toys from the activity area when the infants are finished, rather than returning them to the tub. Replace the water and toys between each pair of infants.
Materials Needed: Melissa & Doug® Flip Fish Soft Baby Toy—1 per child
Invite several preschool-age children in your setting to play together with the fish toys involved in the activity plan. Provide one toy for each child. Encourage the children to flip the scales on his/her fish and figure out whether the toys have same or different hidden pictures.
© 2024 The Trustees of Purdue University | All Rights Reserved