Toddler Learning Concepts

When Olivia does something correctly, she claps for herself. Her parents always smile at her. Recently, she has begun clapping at other times and always looks to see whether her parents are smiling.

• Solving problems

• Noting cause and effect

• understanding quantity

• using spatial relationships

Sophia's mother pours out a canister of barrettes for Sophia's hair. As the mother fastens a pink one into her daughter's hair, Sophia picks out an identical one and says, "Pink."

• Using symbols

• Distinguishing attributes of objects

• Using spatial relationships

• Noting cause and effect

Noah tries to put his teddy bear into a box with a lid. He becomes frustrated when it does not fit.

• Using symbols

• Understanding quantity

• Using spatial relationships

• Distinguishing attributes of objects

Noah walks around wearing his daddy's cap and saying, "Daddy."

• Distinguishing attributes of objects

• Noting cause and effect

• Understanding quantity

• Using symbols

When Jacobs mother picks his up, she often says, "Geesh! You are such a big boy." Jakob picks up a pail of blocks and says, Geesh!"

• Understanding quantity

• Distinguishing attributes of objects

• Using symbols

• Solving problems

Aiden sees the large dog toy on the outside of the dog gate. Aiden picks up the toy and tries to push it horizontally through the bars. It does not fit. After several tries with various bars, he turns the toy vertically and it slips through.

• Solving problems

• Cause and effect

• Distinguishing attributes of objects

• Using spatial relationships

Abigail looked at her dry cereal pieces on her high chair tray. She repeatedly said, "One-two, one-two."

• Solving problems

• Noting cause and effect

• Using spatial relationships

• Understanding quantity

Ben rolls his ball into a tower of blocks causing the tower to crash. Delighted, he keeps repeating the action.

• Problem solving

• Using symbols

• Noting cause and effect

• Using spatial relationships