Problem-solving
A toddler takes small toys of interest out of several small containers and places them in a larger container.
Be Prepared: Secure 2–3 small containers with easy-to-use lids and fill each with two types of small toys of interest to the toddler who will participate in this activity, one type per container. Examples: animal figures, people figures, artificial flowers and leaves, jumbo beads, jumbo counters. Affix the lids. Secure a large container with an easy-to-use lid that will hold all of the small items you put in the smaller containers. Leave the large container empty, but affix the lid. Create a pretend reason for moving the items from a smaller to a larger container, such as the following: “There are flowers in one small cup and leaves in another small cup. Will you help me put our leaves and flowers together in one larger box?”
[Invite a toddler to help you put things into a larger box. Offer a reason related to the items. See Be Prepared for an example.]
[Put the 2–3 small containers in front of the toddler on a low table. Describe what is in each of the containers, but do not remove their lids. Then put the larger container on the table, also with its lid on, and invite the toddler to take the items out of the small containers and put them in the larger container.]
[Pause for the toddler to think about the request and respond. If the toddler does not remove the lid(s) from one or more small containers, ask whether he/she would like to take off a lid and look at what’s inside. Offer verbal guidance for removing a lid, if necessary.
Express enthusiasm for the contents of the smaller containers when they are revealed. Example: “Look at all of the flowers, Adrianna! You like flowers. This is going to be fun!”
Point to the large container. Remind the toddler that the things in the small containers will go into this large container. Pause for the toddler to decide what to do. He/she may remove the lid from the large container or may prefer to first put the small items on the table. Leave this decision to the toddler.
Encourage the toddler to remove items from each small container, one item at a time. Describe the toddler’s actions and continue to express enthusiasm for the items the toddler is removing. Example: “These are really pretty flowers. You are working hard to take out each flower with your fingers.”
If the toddler put items on the table, remind him/her that we want to put them in the large container. Point to what you describe. Provide verbal guidance, if necessary, for removing the lid. If the toddler put items directly into the large container, encourage the toddler to put the lid on the larger container so our things do not fall out.
Encourage the toddler to put the lids on each of the small containers so the lids do not get lost.
If the toddler remains interested, invite him/her to put the small containers in a place you designate. Also invite the toddler to help you carry the large container to a location of your designation.]
[Briefly describe what happened. Thank the toddler for helping you move the items.]
There are several problems for a toddler to solve in this activity, including the following:
The first and fourth problems involve spatial skills. The second problem pertains to planning and a toddler’s level of interest in looking closely at the small items, which is easier to do when placed on the table than when placed in the large container. The third item is a problem for toddlers who have an interest in sorting, but is unlikely to be of interest to many toddlers.
Look for ways to support the toddler’s role as a problem-solver in this activity and resist temptations to suggest solutions before the toddler has adequate time to consider possibilities on his/her own.
Anticipate that some toddlers may opt to stop this multi-part activity at any point, including halfway through the task of removing small items from the small containers. Positively acknowledge different types of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
A toddler takes small toys of interest out of one large container and places them in two smaller containers.
Be Prepared: Secure a large container with an easy-to-use lid. Also secure two types of small toys of interest to the toddler who will participate in this activity. Examples: animal figures, people figures, artificial flowers and leaves, jumbo beads, jumbo counters. Gather 5–8 toys of each type. Put the items in the large container in a random arrangement and affix the lid. Secure two small containers with easy-to-use lids. Leave the small containers empty but affix their lids.
Invite a toddler to help you take items out of a big container and put them in two smaller containers. Put the large container on a low table in front of the toddler. Tell what is inside the box but do not remove its lid. Explain that it will be easier to play with the items if they are in smaller containers. Put the two smaller containers on the table in front of the toddler. Point to each container as you explain they are empty.
Pause for the toddler to figure out how he/she wants to approach the task. If after several moments the toddler does not attempt to remove the lid(s), ask if he/she would like to take the lid off the large container and look at what is inside. Offer verbal guidance for removing the lid, if necessary. Show enthusiasm for the contents of the large container. Then remind the toddler that the items need to be put in the two smaller containers.
Support the toddler in how he/she wants to organize the items. The toddler may decide to put the items randomly in each of the two containers or sort the items by type or use some other approach. If the toddler looks to you for a decision, smile generously and tell the toddler he/she can put the items in the small containers however he/she wishes. Gently describe the toddler’s actions, acknowledge his/her hard work, and continue to express excitement about the items the toddler is working with.
If the toddler remains interested, encourage him/her to put lids in each of the three containers and help you carry the containers to a place you designate. Conclude the activity by briefly describing the toddler’s actions and thank him/her for helping.
This activity is a reverse of Option 2, with similar types of potential problems the toddler can address (see What to Look For in Option 1). The current activity offers the additional potential problem of how to separate a larger collection of toys that represent two different types. Some toddlers may promptly decide to sort the items, such as one type per small container, whereas other toddlers may show no interest in sorting and will put items in the two smaller containers in random fashion. Toddlers are not expected to learn counting and it is not necessary or appropriate for the two smaller containers to have equal or nearly equal numbers of items. Support each toddler’s lead with the tasks and positively recognize different types of participation. Consistent with Option 1, a toddler may opt to depart from the activity before all items have been removed from the large container.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: 10–15 different toy food items, large basket or container, three smaller containers
Offer an extension of the Option 2 activity by putting the toy food items in a large basket and inviting several toddlers to put the food in smaller containers for three different friends (one container per friend). Support toddlers in dividing the food in ways they wish. Example: one toddler may want to put together a container of foods he/she thinks a friend would like and another toddler may try to put one of each type of food in each container (“everyone gets an apple!”). Monitor potential conflicts over food items and encourage sharing and flexibility. Encourage toddlers to tell about their plans and what they are doing.
Materials Needed: See Option 2
Offer Option 2 to a preschool-age child with the request to sort the small toys into the two smaller containers (Enrichment tip). Also, a preschool-age or older child could help you organize materials for Options 1 and 2 for toddlers.
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