Cognitive development: toddlers (1-3 years)

Primarily a toddler learns by:
-Using their senses - e.g. Every time a toddler uses senses to learn about smell, sound, texture, feel, sound they are catergorising their experiences in a way that helps them make sense of the world.
-Experimenting - e.g. A toddler might drop a spoon on the floor over and over again, not to aggravate their caregiver, but to memorise the cause and effect of things.
-Manipulating objects - e.g. A toddler learns a great deal by accident. Accidental learning, a form of experimentation, is the beginning of problem solving.

Between 18 months and three years of age most toddlers understand that objects and people continue to exist even when they are no longer visible, can visually follow the displacement of objects and will begint o use instruments and tools.

It is common to observe toddlers flitting from one activity to another. This is often referred to as a child having a short attention span, however it may in fact be that the child is exploring a particular idea or schema in some depth.

Examples of schema may include but are not limited to:
-Transporting:

• A child may carry all the bricks from one place to another in a bag.
• A child may push a friend around in a toy pram

-Enveloping:

• A child may wrap a doll up in a blanket.
• A child may cover their whole painting with one color.

-Enclosure/ Containing:

• A child may fill up and empty containers of all kinds
• A child may sit in the tunnel in the playground.

-Trajectory:

• A child may drop things from their cot.
• A child may throw objects.
• A child may climb up and jump off furniture.

-Rotation:

• A child may be fascinated by the spinning washing machine.
• A child may enjoy spinning around or being swung around.
• A child may love running down a hill.