Young children are naturally curious, and are driven to explore the world around them. They are encountering so many things for the first time, and inevitably they want to find out what it is, what it does, and what they can do to it. From toddlers dumping their toys, to four year olds sticking tape to every surface, kids are experimenting with materials, formulating their ideas, and building their understanding of materials and their properties as they follow their curiosity.
While these explorations can sometimes be frustrating to the adults charged with caring for them, we see this as meaningful work for kids. Rather than being put off by their actions, or the mess that ensues, teachers try to encourage and foster that curiosity. We try to follow a child’s lead, and ask questions to provoke their thinking, like:
“What’s happening?”
”What are you trying to do?”
“How did you think of that?”
“How did you make that happen?”
“What did you think would happen?”
“What will you try next?”
This is what we mean when we say that we take kids and their ideas seriously. When we really listen to kids, we can help suss out their intentions and questions. We can probe and provoke, and spur them to think things through. We don’t intend to hand kids answers to questions they have, but to support them building their own knowledge. We might make comments and observations out loud - not only to further our own understanding of what they’re doing, but to help them reflect on the actions they’re taking.
A teacher may see kids working at a table with tape, and observe, “I see tape stretching from the chair to the table! I wonder how it got so long?”
The child then has the chance to explain their thinking. Was the child thinking about the effort it was taking to pull off a long strip? Were they intent on seeing how the tape would stick on different surfaces? Were they trying to form a web for a spider, or laying a trap in their Spiderman game? We won’t know unless we ask. Then, we can decide how to help them pursue their ideas, or what kind of limits we need to set around their actions. When we have to set a limit, we try not to completely shut down the activity, and might try to reframe it for kids. “It sounds like you want to make a tape bridge from the chair to the table.” Then help them understand the implications. “If we leave tape across the tables and chairs, will we be able to use them for snack?” They may have a solution to this dilemma, or we may have to provide the limit. “We’ll have to take it all down at clean up time to set the tables.”
Of course, the toddler isn’t usually going to be able to explain verbally about why they are dumping out toys. But observing and listening can help us here, too. We know that toddlers have a drive to fill and empty containers, and we might try to observe what seems to be of interest in the moment. Maybe it’s the thrill of the act - just watching all those toys fall to the floor! Or the power of lifting and dropping so many items. Maybe they’re listening to the sounds the toys make falling, and how the sound varies when the toys hit the floor or the rug. Maybe they like the feel of their hands swirling the toys around in the bin.
Whatever the various properties they’re focusing on, kids need to have multiple experiences with objects to develop an understanding of how they work, and how they can affect change. We offer many ways for kids to explore filling and emptying throughout the year, and might also find ways to hone in on their particular interest in the moment, so that kids can follow their ideas.
We might offer various bins or boxes, for instance, or different sorts of toys to fill and dump. We could find materials that add to the audio or sensory explorations, if that’s the child’s focus. On the other hand, knowing how hard it is for toddlers to resist dumping, we might have to limit their access to bins of toys at times. We might have to say, “Ooh, let’s not dump these! Let’s find something else to do.”
If we understand that this is the way kids construct their knowledge, we can try to find appropriate ways to help them engage with materials purposefully, and channel their interest during those times. When we follow a child’s lead, we can tap into what is most meaningful to them about an activity, allowing them to refine their thinking and make new discoveries.