Time for Independence (and NOISE!) with Toddlers

Toddlers playing music (banging!) with spoons, rocks and bark.

There's not much toddlers enjoy more than banging on things and making noise!  Whether it is banging hands on the table, banging spoons against pots and pans, banging two blocks together or even banging the door closed, if it can make an interesting noise, toddlers will figure it out!

At the YCCF, we understand that toddlers need to bang and make noise, so we work to find creative solutions to allow them to do so.  One of those ways is depicted here-- a simple piece of plywood with pots, pans and colanders from Goodwill attached.  It's outdoors-- so they can bang all they want! 

Why do toddlers need to bang? Developmentally, toddlers are busy learning that they are separate individuals who are able to make things happen because they want them to happen.  (Or prevent things from happening, as you know if you've tried to get your toddler to do something she didn't want to do.)  While it is extremely frustrating at times, (OK, often!) it is vitally important for toddlers to learn that they can choose to make an impact on the world.  If they don't, we run the risk of instilling in them self-doubt instead of autonomy.  Children in the toddler years choose to show their independence not only by making a joyful (loud) noise, but also by refusing to wear the nice shirt you picked out, wanting to walk instead of be carried, refusing the nice broccoli you chose for dinner or insisting that their shoes belong on the wrong feet (right where they put them.)

How do we support this learning at school? Sometimes, toddlers want to do things that we can't allow because it puts them in danger or is unhealthy (like refusing to have a dirty diaper changed.) Whenever we can allow them to make their own choices, though, we do.  So when toddlers want to bang and make noise, which is often, we learn to make the most of it! In the photo above, not only are children banging, making noise and having fun, but they're also engaged in scientific inquiry.  "What noise does the pot make if I bang with the wooden spoon?  What noise does it make if I bang with a rock?  How about this bark?"  Children learn that their actions have different outcomes, based on how hard they bang or how soft or what they use.  This increased understanding of their ability to control themselves and impact the world also moves them toward a really important toddler milestone-- toilet training! (Toilet training is all about toddler autonomy.)

How can you support this learning at home? Besides letting them bang away (stock up on the ibuprofen), consider other ways you can give your toddler choices at home.  If they insist on wearing their pajamas to the store, maybe that's OK.  If it's not, offer them two different choices of shirts to wear:  "Do you want to wear the red shirt with the yellow stripes, or the black shirt with the white polka dots?" Offering that simple choice (don't give too many options!) may fulfill your toddler's desire to be in charge.  If banging on the metal pots with the metal spoon is just unbearable at your house, your toddler may be just as happy banging on your plastic colander with a plastic ladle.  Ultimately, finding some safe ways for your toddler to make some small "noise" in the world (literally and figuratively,) you can help your toddler grow into the autonomous, confident child you hope she'll be.

Cooking with kids

When we're busy trying to get dinner ready at the end of a long day, children often seem more "in the way" than helpful!  That, of course, is completely understandable.  Did you know, though, that children can learn a LOT during cooking experiences?

Many of Indiana's early childhood standards for math, science and language arts can be reached through children's experiences with food and cooking.  For example, counting out 4 cups of flour teaches children not only about measurement and counting, but also one-to-one correspondence (the concept that we count one number for one scoop of flour.)  If you've ever tried to play a board game like Candy Land with your young child, you have seen a lack of one-to-one correspondence when they move 12 spaces while counting to 5!

Indiana's science standards ask us to allow children to investigate and talk about the characteristics of matter.  What's the difference between oil and water?  They are both liquids, but they act very differently.  What happens when we mix them in a recipe?  Flour and salt are both white, but they feel differently when touched.  Science standards also ask us to give small groups of children opportunities to engage in scientific experimentation.  Mixing ingredients for a recipe, adding heat (which causes a chemical reaction) and then observing (tasting!) those changes certainly meets this criteria.


When following a recipe, children also have the opportunity to meet language arts standards, and working with a small group helps them gain important social/emotional skills as they take turns with friends. 

How can you extend this learning at home? We know it's unlikely that you'll be able to fit in cooking experiences with your child at home after a long day at work, but perhaps on a weekend you'll find some ways that your child can help out in the kitchen with a simple recipe you can make together!

Need some additional resources?  Look here for additional things children learn while cooking, and here for some fantastic recipes and other information!

Observational Drawing with Young Children - a scientific process

Besides art, drawing can be used for more scientific purposes, too.  One of the ways we use drawing with children at the YCCF is in the process of "observational drawings."  Children at the art table often draw for fun and to express their thoughts and ideas.  While this is a vitally important experience for children to have, there is another reason (and way) to use drawing.

Observational drawing is the experience of looking closely at something-- and drawing what you see.  We use this type of drawing for a different reasons, but generally, it is intended to help children focus on what it is they are looking at, to notice the different elements of the object(s) and to create a representation in order to help them better understand it. 

These drawings represent preschool children's  observations of tadpoles in their early stage of development.  In the coming days and weeks, the children will watch as the tadpoles change-- as they first grow legs, then lose their tails, and ultimately become frogs.  As this happens, children will have the opportunity to watch and sketch the changes.  They will record, as scientists do, their observations onto paper so that they can reflect on the changes they saw.  Teachers will ask questions, "What's different now about the tadpoles? Let's look at the drawings from last week and see what changes have happened." 

How can you extend the learning at home?  Help your child notice the phenomena that happen all around him.  Give her a clipboard and pencil to sketch things they see and wonder about in the world.  For very young children, it is helpful to choose parts of things to sketch instead of entire objects (e.g.- sketch the wheel of the car, not the whole car.)  Talk about and label the parts of things that you see if your child is interested.  This is yet another opportunity to expand her vocabulary!  Compare his drawings of one tree/bird/truck to other ones you see.  How are they alike and how are they different?  Refrain from giving your child suggestions about how to approach her drawing.  Learning to draw is a developmental process-- one that takes time and practice, and each child goes about this in his own way.