Problem-solving, Object inquiry skills
A young infant participates in guided play with toys that come apart.
Be Prepared: Secure a ball that is partially visible when placed inside the cup (see picture) and in a color that contrasts with the color of the cup.
During a tummy-time activity, place one stacking cup on the floor and invite the infant to look at it. Then hold the ball for the infant to see, and place it on the cup when the infant is looking. A portion of the ball should be visible. Name each toy as you point. Describe what you are doing.
Move the combined toys within reach of the infant. Invite the infant to touch the toys. Help the infant touch the toys if he/she reaches for them. Allow plenty of time for the infant to explore the toys. If the infant causes the ball to fall off the cup, enthusiastically explain what happened. Example: “The ball was on the cup. You touched the ball. The ball came off the cup!” If the infant does not touch the toys, or his/her action does not cause the ball to fall off the cup, tip the cup so the ball falls off. Explain what happened. Repeat the on and off actions as you describe each with short, clear phrases. Emphasize the words on and off. Pause after each so the infant has sufficient time to look at each arrangement (ball off the cup, ball on the cup).
Provide time and encouragement for the infant to play with the two toys if interested. Put the ball on the cup again so the infant has another opportunity to see the combined arrangement, and to maybe touch or manipulate the combined toys.
Describe the infant’s actions or what the infant is feeling with his/her fingers, hands, or mouth. Examples: “Ahh. Trina, you got the ball to your mouth.” “Umm. You feel the bumps with your tongue.” Repeat and expand on the infant’s vocalizations.
Problem-solving, Object inquiry skills
An older infant participates in guided play that includes opportunities to take apart arrangements of beanbags.
First Words (Bright Baby) by Roger Priddy
[Invite an infant who can sit independently to play with the beanbags. Sit on the floor near the infant. Name and point to several beanbags. Example: “This is a beanbag. This is a beanbag. This is a beanbag. We have a lot of beanbags!”
Stack all of the beanbags, one on top of another. Describe what you are doing.]
All our beanbags are in a pile. We have a pile of beanbags.
[Point to the top of the pile.]
Would you like to get a beanbag from our pile?
[Pause for the infant to consider the pile. If the infant does not touch or start taking the pile apart, remove the top beanbag and then return it to the pile or put it on the floor. Encourage the infant to take a beanbag off the pile.
Describe the infant’s actions with simple, encouraging statements. Examples: “Xavier, you took a beanbag off our pile! Do you want to get another beanbag?” “Wow, you are taking apart our pile of beanbags. You pushed them to the floor!”
The sensory beanbags may prompt an infant to explore a beanbag he/she removed. The infant may shake the beanbag, mouth it, or feel it with his/her fingers or hands. Support the infant’s exploration of a beanbag by describing his/her actions. Wait a few moments before pointing to the stacked beanbags and encouraging the infant to remove one more beanbag.
At this age, infants may use both hands to remove the beanbag. Some infants may dismantle the beanbag stack and set each beanbag on the floor. Continue to describe the actions in an encouraging manner.]
Our beanbags were in a pile. Now our beanbags are all on the floor! You took apart our pile of beanbags.
[Emphasize the word apart. Point to the random arrangement of beanbags. Pause so the infant has time to look.]
We can do something else with our beanbags. We can make a line with our beanbags.
[Place the beanbags in a line in front of the infant. Describe your actions as you arrange the beanbags, from the infant’s left to right. Example: “First, the bumpy red beanbag. Next is the green beanbag. I am putting the gold nubby beanbag in our line, then blue, and then pink. The shiny yellow beanbag is at the end of our line.” Emphasize the word line.]
We can take apart our line of beanbags. Would you like to help me take beanbags away from our line?
[Encourage the infant to remove beanbags from the line. If the infant remains interested, he/ she may be interested in your forming another pile or line of beanbags to take apart and/or in manipulating individual beanbags.]
[Describe what happened. Example: “We had a pile of beanbags. You took the pile apart. You took each beanbag off the pile. Then our beanbags were on the floor. We made a line with our beanbags. Then we made another pile!”]
Problem-solving, Object inquiry skills
An older infant participates in guided play that includes opportunities to take apart a tower of stacker pieces.
Invite an infant who can sit independently to play with the knob stacker toy with you. Sit on the floor facing the infant and put the stacking toy together as the infant watches. Use simple phrases to explain you are putting the toy pieces together.
Invite the infant to take apart the toy. Emphasize the word apart. In addition to your words, use a gesture with the top piece to communicate your invitation. If the infant seems uncertain about what to do, remove 1–2 pieces, one at a time, as the infant watches. Return each piece to the tower for the infant to remove.
Describe the infant’s actions in taking each piece off the tower. Emphasize the word off. Example: “Tamara, you are taking the little blue piece off the tower.” Encourage the infant to remove each individual piece rather than knocking the tower over.
Draw attention to the pieces of the tower on the floor and explain that the pieces used to be in a tower. Emphasize that the infant took apart the tower by moving the toy pieces from the tower to the floor. The infant may be interested in your creating another tower for him/her to take apart.
The three activity options are designed to help an infant become aware of how objects can be changed by taking them apart. The options are geared to different levels of cognitive and motor skills. In each activity, look for opportunities to emphasize changes in the arrangement of toys. Generally, before infants can put together toys, they are interested in taking them apart.
The Option 1 activity may be brief and easily incorporated into a tummy time, as suggested. The ways in which the activity unfolds will depend partly on the infant’s ability to hold up his/her head for a sustained time and use his/her arms and hands while on his/her tummy. The activity can be beneficial if the infant watches only. Looking is a valuable way to explore.
Option 2 offers a more pronounced change in the arrangement of toys (beanbags) and opportunities for the infant to create the change. Watch the infant’s attention to the beanbags after they are removed from the pile (sitting randomly on the floor). Make another pile of beanbags for the infant to take apart if it seems the infant would prefer a repeat. Make a line of beanbags at a later point if time or infant interest is short.
In Option 3, if an infant knocks over the tower, simply put it back together and demonstrate taking off one piece. Kindly say to the infant, “Let’s try it a different way.” Point to the top piece and emphasize the word off. Some infants may be interested in putting the tower together. Arrange the stacking pieces in order by size. The largest stacking piece should be near the infant’s left hand, and the last piece of the tower should be on the infant’s right. Demonstrate how to set one on top of another, and give verbal guidance to the infant for stacking others.
The activity plans continue the practice of a caregiver using simple phrases to describe objects and actions. Gestures and facial expressions are central to communications because infants will not understand most of the words you use. Still, your use of language (with pauses) can strengthen an infant’s understanding that language is associated with objects and actions.
The activities offer good opportunities to observe an infant’s fine motor skills, particularly coordination of hands, fingers, and eye-hand. Examples of skills to observe: An infant may use two hands to manipulate items. An infant may pick up a small item with a pincer grasp (thumb and index finger), a skill that typically occurs between 8–12 months of age, or use a whole hand to grasp an item. You may see an infant use a pincer grasp or his/her whole hand to grasp the nesting pieces. At this age, infants may use either hand. A consistent preference for using one hand develops over the first two years.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: books, pictures of people and animals, cups, small and large toys, baskets or containers, animal figures, muffin cups
Provide books with single images on each page. Infants enjoy looking at photos of people and animals.
Make arrangements with cups and toys for non-mobile infants to view and touch. Create simple and attractive arrangements of play materials to support infants in learning by looking.
Throughout the week, put items into baskets or containers for infants to remove. Example: Place a muffin pan where an infant can discover it. Put a soft animal figure or other small toy in each muffin cup. Also, place items inside a cloth container for infants to remove.
Provide materials for mobile infants to transfer from one container to another. Use both large and small play materials.
Materials Needed: toys in Options 2 and 3, The Three Bears by Byron Barton, story props—such as bowls
Older toddlers and preschool-age children may enjoy putting together, independently or with your help, the toys used in Options 2 and 3. Preschool-age children also may enjoy identifying the appropriate sizes of items, such as bowls, for the characters in The Three Bears as part of a book sharing.
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