Children are born curious! Ones have been watching, listening, touching, tasting and smelling everything around them since they were born. Their rapidly developing brains have been noticing differences between things, events that happen the same way every time, and how they can make events happen. They’ve already been practicing the most basic of math and science skills! Learn how to nurture these abilities.
Exploring properties
What children are doing
One-year-olds (Ones) use their senses to explore properties - colors, shapes, textures, etc. - of objects around them. As ones gain more eye-hand coordination and mobility, caregivers will also notice them exploring spaces and shapes, fitting things inside of spaces, and dumping and filling containers.
What caregivers can provide
- Lots of different sized containers with toys.
- Opportunities to use containers to fill and dump water.
- Simple shape puzzles with knobs for older ones.
- Different objects to explore that share the same color.
What caregivers can say and do
- Use descriptive words to talk to children about their actions and the materials they are using. ("You're putting the balls in the bucket. Now you dumped them out!" "Is that water cold?" "That made a loud sound, didn't it?" "Now you're inside the box!")
Noticing differences
What children are doing
Ones notice differences in how things look, sound, taste, feel and smell. Give ones opportunities to compare differences and develop their observation skills, which are key components of science inquiry and mathematical problem solving. Begin to build vocabulary to describe those differences.
What caregivers can provide
- Sealed containers filled with different objects (bells, feathers, sequins, etc.). Babies can notice differences in color, sound, and movement as they move or shake the containers.
- A variety of textures (sandpaper, corduroy, sticky paper, bubble wrap, sponges). Glue pieces of each to a box lid for children to explore.
- Collections of natural materials (pinecones of different sizes, shells of different shapes).
- Musical or rhythm instruments with a range of tones (xylophone, bells, drums).
What caregivers can say and do
- Lay objects of different sizes side by side on a table, or limit finger painting colors to two, and use comparison words while talking with children to help focus attention on likenesses and differences.
- Encourage children to make different sounds with their bodies: clap quickly/slowly, beat a drum loudly/softly. Children this age will imitate almost any action, so caregivers can take advantage and turn babies' love of imitation into a learning tool!
Recognizing amounts
What children are doing
Even though one-year-olds are too young to count, they are aware of differences in amounts. In the math world, this is called number sense.
What caregivers can provide
- The basic math concept of number/amount is everywhere. No special materials are needed. Highlight numbers in everyday experiences.
What caregivers can say and do
- Use words that refer to amounts throughout the day. ("Do you want more carrots?" "They're all gone." "She doesn't have any. Let's give her some." "Wow, you have so many blocks!")
- Play simple clapping games: Modeling simple clapping patterns (clap-clap-clap… pause…clap-clap-clap) captures and focuses ones' attention on these basic math concepts in a fun way that they can then repeat and experiment with.
Making changes
What children are doing
Ones are all about doing and then seeing what happens! The voice of their inborn scientist is constantly asking "I wonder what would happen if I…" They are very interested in actions and reactions, cause and effect - especially when they are the ones who provide the action.
What caregivers can provide
- Toys that children can act on, and that respond when babies perform a simple action.
- Toys and tools for water and sand play.
- Finger painting or painting with various objects that create different effects.
What caregivers can say and do
- Recognize the curiosity behind children's cause-and-effect actions and comment on it. ("What happened? Did the blocks fall down when you kicked them?")
- Model an action that will create a different effect or outcome and encourage the child to repeat it.
- Imitate an action that a child just did and describe what was done and what happened next. Let the child lead to communicate the message that what she did was interesting and worth doing again.
Keep in mind: One of the most dramatic changes in the second year of life is mobility - ones' ability to get around on their own. They are able to interact more and more with the objects and people around them, gaining more information about those objects and people. They can perform more types of actions and then observe the results. While it's important to set limits to keep them physically safe, remember that much of ones' activity is fueled by curiosity and the need to figure out their world - a core scientific trait.
Choking cautions
Young children can choke on small objects and toy parts. All items used for children under three years of age and any children who put toys in their mouths should be at least 1¼ inch in diameter and between 1 inch and 2¼ inches in length. Oval balls and toys should be at least 1¾ inch in diameter. Toys should meet federal small parts standards. Any toys or games labeled as unsuitable for children under three should not be used.
Other items that pose a safety risk and should not be accessible to children under three include, but are not limited to: button batteries, magnets, plastic bags, styrofoam objects, coins, balloons, latex gloves, and glitter.
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