Problem-solving
An infant participates in taking apart a stacking rings toy.
Be Prepared: This activity is for an infant who can sit independently or with support. Begin the activity with a stacking rings toy that is fully assembled (all rings on the spool).
Invite the infant to join you in playing with a stacking rings toy. Place the fully-assembled toy close enough for the infant to see. Point to the stack of rings and use a cheerful tone of voice to describe them. Example: “Ellie, these are our stacking rings. There are lots of pretty colors.” Pause to let the infant look.
Take one ring off the spool and show it to the infant. If the ring has little beads inside, shake it softly. Hold the ring steady so the infant can focus his/her eyes on the object. Remove the next ring and hold it for the infant to see. Continue to take rings off the spool slowly. Show each ring to the infant as long as he/she shows interest. Each time you remove a ring, point to and tell how the toy looks different.
Support different forms of participation in the activity, including the following:
Describe the infant’s actions. Example: “Angel, you took the ring off with two hands.” Draw attention to characteristics of a ring, such as color or texture, while following the infant’s pace and interest.
The infant may welcome a brief break from looking at your actions or removing rings. Both tasks can be tiring for an infant. End the activity if the infant turns away, looks away, or gets fussy.
Watch the infant’s gaze and hand/arm movements to determine how he/she may wish to participate. Infants will differ in their approach to the activity, as described in the activity plan. Some may focus more on the rings than on how the toy is changing each time a ring is removed. There are cognitive benefits in the coordination of hands and eyes if the infant manipulates or helps remove a ring. An infant may use two hands to remove a ring. There is not a preferred method for this activity. An infant may want to keep holding a ring. Holding or manipulating a ring is not necessary for an infant to benefit from the activity. Watching is a valuable form of participation and a good way to explore an object.
If the infant grasps a ring, talk about and point to the ring’s color and texture, including whether it has a rippled surface. Infants at this age are beginning to distinguish bold colors. It is common for parents and other caregivers to talk about colors, even though most infants learn colors and color names at about 24-36 months of age.
Look carefully at whether the toy seems to be at a proper distance from the infant. Typically, very young infants can visually focus at about 12 inches. Decide how much distance is best for the infant by observing the infant’s reaction to the colorful toy. An older infant may prefer the ring placed up to 20 inches out.
Avoid beginning the activity with rings that need to be placed on the spool. This distracts from, and potentially confuses, the goal of helping the infant see how an item can be taken apart. Assembling a stacking rings toy is far more advanced than taking apart the toy.
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
An older infant participates in taking apart a stacking rings toy and placing the rings in a clear container.
[Invite an infant to play a game with the stacking rings. Sit on the floor facing the infant and present the toy with the rings stacked on the spool. Place the clear container near the infant. Point to the rings and to the container (bowl) when you describe each.]
We can play a game by taking the rings off the spool. Then we put the rings into a bowl.
[Emphasize by repeating “rings off” and “into a bowl.”]
Would you like to take off the first ring?
[Point to the top ring.]
[Describe the infant’s actions as he/she removes the ring.
Encourage the infant to drop the first ring into the bowl.
Act as the announcer in the game. Example: “Diego, you took one ring off and put it in the bowl! You did it all by yourself.”
Add your own fun twist to make the activity appealing for the infant. Example: Clap and say “ta-da” each time the infant drops a ring into the container.]
Are you ready to get more rings?
[Emphasize more.
Point to and describe the next ring.]
Next is the orange ring!
[Continue to encourage the two-step activity. If the infant removes most or all of the rings, emphasize the differences between the (empty) spool and the many rings in the bowl.
Give the bowl to the infant and encourage him/her to dump the rings onto the floor. The infant can observe the random arrangement of the rings on the floor, which looks different from the rings stacked in order by size. Emphasize the infant’s action changed the arrangement of rings. Example: “Makayla, your rings were stacked up inside the bowl. Now they are in different places on the floor.”]
[Briefly describe the infant’s actions with the rings and bowl, including his/her reaction to taking the stacking rings toy apart. Example: “You took the rings off the spool. Then you put the rings in the bowl. Now the rings are spread out on the floor! You changed how things look!”]
Two collections are taken apart in this activity. One is the set of rings on a spool. The other is the set of rings in the clear container. This offers two opportunities for the infant to see results of his/her actions. Emphasize each change but avoid a strong teaching approach. Infants can learn a lot by acting on items and seeing for themselves how items can change.
It is all right to use the color names in describing rings, but do not attempt to teach color. Infants do not learn color names at this age, but they are able to detect color differences.
Some infants will notice how the rings in the clear bowl are arranged in order, from small to large. However, putting the toy back together requires awareness of subtle differences in size and an understanding of how to order objects from small to large. Also, the spool is wider at the bottom. At this age, most infants will not have achieved this understanding.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: stacking rings toy, infant gym, nesting cups, empty tissue box
Place one large and one small ring on the floor in front of an infant at tummy time. Arrange the rings so an infant who is reaching can grasp them. Suspend two rings from the infant gym so a nonmobile infant can see the rings move and can swipe at them.
Create a simple arrangement of rings on a surface that early mobile infants can discover. Set up a stack of nesting cups an infant can tip over. Provide an empty tissue box so an infant can put the stacking rings inside and easily remove them.
Materials Needed: infant snap-link beads, nonbreakable clear container, large peg puzzles, magnetic builders, or other manipulative construction sets
Infants’ work in taking apart a toy can be extended to older children in your setting. The suggested materials can be taken apart by toddlers and preschool-age children. Put together several lengths of infant snap-link beads. Provide a nonbreakable clear container for the beads.
Provide large peg puzzles for toddlers. Some toddlers will simply remove the puzzle pieces. Some toddlers will begin to put a peg puzzle together.
Preschool-age and older children will enjoy constructing with magnetic builders or other manipulative construction sets at a table.
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