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Approaches to Learning
Promoting Curiosity
WiseTip: AL-CUR-M1626-G01A

Provide opportunities for your toddler to explore with all their five senses. For example, carry out water play during bath time.

16-26 months
Caregiving
WHY IT MATTERS

Through hands-on play, young children are developing rudimentary theories, also known as schemas, to explain their world. They construct an idea of how things work in their heads and then refine it over time through experience. Young children enjoy using their senses to learn and like to use oral faculties to explore, such as by

mouthing

Mouthing - Mouthing is an important developmental milestone for children. Mouthing behavior develops into an exploratory behavior in which objects are placed into the mouth for a few seconds for purposes of discovery. During this stage of development, children will put their hands and any object that they come in contact with into their mouths.

things. Activities should be open-ended so that children have the time and space to construct their understanding of the materials and their properties. Exploring in this way, such as through water play, also builds their later scientific inquiry when they experiment and see cause-and-effect relationships between materials.
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  1. Schwarz, T., & Luckenbill, J. (2012). Let's get messy! exploring sensory and art activities with infants and toddlers. YC Young Children, 67(4), 26-30,32,34.

Read more at AL-CUR-C03.