Problem-solving, Object inquiry skills
A young infant chooses a toy to play with.
Look
[Place a non-mobile infant on his/her back so he/she can easily see your face and toys you present. Place an infant who can sit independently or with support on the floor, facing you.]
Here are two toys. You can play with the toys.
[Hold the doll and bear side by side about 12 inches from the infant so he/she can clearly see the toys.
Wiggle the doll slightly to draw attention to the toy. Describe the doll. Example: “Our baby doll is wearing a hat. The doll has a smiling face.”
Next wiggle the bear while you hold the doll still. Talk about the bear’s texture and color.
Describe the infant’s reactions to the toys. Example: “Anthony, you are waving your arms and smiling at the bear. I think you like the happy face on our bear.”]
Which toy would you like to play with?
[Based on the infant’s reactions to the two toys, hold the preferred toy close to the infant again so the toy can be easily touched or grasped by the infant. Put aside the other toy. Invite the infant to hold the preferred toy. Example: “Do you want to hold the teddy bear?” Pause for the infant to focus on the toy and respond to seeing it again.
If the infant does not touch the preferred toy, offer to touch the infant’s arm or hand with the toy.
Describe the infant’s actions with the toy, such as looking or touching or mouthing.]
[Describe highlights of what happened. Example: “Today you looked at a baby doll and a teddy bear. I think you liked the teddy bear a lot. You held the teddy bear and then gave it back to me.”]
Carefully observe the infant’s gaze to determine which toy seems to be preferred and whether the infant appears interested in touching or holding a toy. Provide ample time for the infant to look at the toys. Before infants are able to reach for objects of interest, vision is their primary means of exploring. Some infants may prefer to look at but not touch (or be touched with) a toy. Avoid overstimulating the infant by paying attention to his/her non-verbal signals and not using the toys as entertainment. Remember that the activity emphasizes the infant’s consideration of two different toys.
Extra support
Enrichment
Say the name of the infant’s body part when you gently move a toy toward the infant. Example: “Here comes our teddy bear to see your toes.” Touch the infant’s feet with the soft toy.
Problem-solving
An infant chooses toys for open-ended play with a caregiver.
Be Prepared: Select stacking cups that differ in size and/or color.
Sit on the floor next to an infant and ask if he/she would like to join you in playing with some soft bears. Place the soft bears near the infant and describe each one. Example: “Here is our big bear.” Pause. “This is our little bear.” Emphasize the words big and little.
Encourage the infant to choose one of the bears. Emphasize again the words big and little. Use the bear not preferred by the infant for your participation in the play session.
Offer two different stacking cups as dishes for pretend food for the bears. Set them side by side so the infant may easily reach both. Example: “Here is a little cup for bear’s food. Here is a big cup for her food. Which cup would you like to use?” Use the cup not preferred by the infant for your participation in the session.
If the infant remains interested, offer the second set of two different cups for pretend milk or water for the bears. Use the procedures described above for presenting the two cups. Again, encourage the infant to select one cup for giving a drink to his/her bear. Use the other cup for your own actions.
Engage the infant in play that could involve holding the bear, feeding the bear, and maybe putting the bear to bed. Incorporate routines that are familiar to an infant. Describe what the infant does with his/her bear and other toys, and emphasize the concepts used to describe the items, such as big and little. Mimic actions an infant does with his/her toys.
Infants are likely to differ in how long they look at choices before showing a preference for one of the two items you offer. Monitor their gaze, keeping in mind that looking is an important way to explore objects. It is not necessary for the infant to use items initially chosen for the entire play session. An infant may wish to switch bears or cups with you as part of the play. Positively accommodate this interest. The length of the playtime is expected to vary considerably across infants.
Most of the words you use in this session will be unfamiliar to an infant. Your facial expressions and hand gestures are valuable ways to supplement your words. Emphasizing and repeating key words in a meaningful context informally supports an infant’s language development over time.
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
Infants choose a soundmaking toy to shake as part of a small gathering of mobile peers.
Be Prepared: One possible source of music is the World Playground CD.
Invite mobile infants to an informal gathering with music. Explain that we are going to shake bells and shakers. Move from infant to infant and give each a choice of using one bell or one shaker egg. Present the two items at the same time. Point to each sound-making toy as you describe it.
Allow ample time for each child to make a choice. Describe each infant’s choice. Example: “Okay, Darnell, you want a shaker egg.”
Use one of the sound-making toys to lead infants in shaking their toys. Example: “Let’s shake our bells and eggs and listen to the sound.” Point to your ear as you emphasize “listen.” Describe each infant’s actions. Examples: “Helena is watching.” “Brandon is shaking a shaker.”
After a brief period of infants shaking their toys, provide recorded music to support infants’ shaking of their toys.
At this age, infants will show their preference for an item by looking, pointing, touching, or grasping. Some infants may verbalize their preference. Say aloud the infant’s preference (or your understanding of the preference). Some infants may prefer to hold a shaker or bell and watch the activity. Other infants may imitate your actions. Encourage all types of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Draw attention to the difference in sounds of a bell and a shaker.
Materials Needed: dissimilar objects, large blocks and vehicles, red nonbreakable bowl, red pop beads, yellow nonbreakable bowl, yellow balls, pails, scoops
Throughout the week, offer infants two different types of objects and encourage them to select one.
For tummy time with a non-mobile infant, place two dissimilar objects side by side, close to the infant. Examples: One ball and one texture bear, ball and book, book and doll, book and bear, and bear and doll. Each day, change one of the objects.
Put large blocks and large vehicles in a play area. Encourage early mobile infants to get a block or a car. Fill a red, nonbreakable bowl with red pop beads and fill a yellow, nonbreakable bowl with yellow balls. Draw attention to the beads and balls. Sit next to an infant and describe his/her reaction to the play materials.
On a low surface, arrange two dissimilar toys side by side. Talk with mobile infants about the materials and encourage them to choose one or the other. Outdoors, draw attention to making choices. Example: place different-colored pails and scoops in the sandbox.
Materials Needed: two types of manipulative toys, such as bristle blocks and star builders
Offering choices supports cognitive development and shows respect for a child’s interests. Toddlers can be easily incorporated into Options 2 or 3. In addition, during playtime describe choices a toddler may make with the materials specified above. Limit the number of possibilities. Too many toys may complicate the issue of choice. If presented with too many playthings, toddlers sometimes remove all the toys from a surface without engaging in focused play.
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