“The Best Playground EVER!”

2023 Newsletter Archive

Posted July 5, 2023

A Two Year Old with a Knife – Yikes!

ARE YOU CRAZY! Of course you wouldn’t allow that – they’re not ready.

Lets talk about this stage of development – Birth to 18-24 months. Most observant parents probably know this, they just haven’t put it into words.

The Sensorimotor phase....

An infant is born with a group of reflexes that are instinctual (sucking, closing hand around an object placed in it). From these passive responses he progresses rapidly to more active responses.

The passive release of looking changes into the active search for objects. Reflexive crying changes into the active demand for food, expressing anger, or seeking relief from discomfort.

The separate activities of the infant are coordinated during this period: he learns to follow the motion of his hand with his eyes and to control that motion. The infant learns that objects have permanence, and begins to look for things that have been removed from his field of vision. He begins to be aware of depth and space, and learns to maneuver in this space. He learns causality as he sees that his activity results in a corresponding change in his environment. He begins to observe the actions of others and attempts to imitate their activity, as well as learning the separation of means and ends, thus being able to go through a series of simple steps to achieve a desired result.

The end of the sensorimotor phase, with the learning of language, marks the emergence of genuine intelligence, but an intelligence still far removed from the reflective intelligence of adults.

Soon comes “practice play”.... The characteristics of practice play are repetition and pleasure in being the cause of an external event. An example of this play is the child who has recently discovered that when he lets go of an object it falls to the ground. Over and over he will pick it up and drop it again, each time exhibiting obvious delight.

....excerpt from “Design for Play” by Richard Dattner AIS 1969, Page 24

Most of these activities happen in the house. There is a great amount of joy watching a child learn to use their body, manipulate things and smile when they hear your voice.

At Discovery Park, it’s amazing to watch those even under 2 making the train go around or sitting on their big brother’s lap as he takes a trip around the park.

Don’t hesitate to bring them with the older kids when you visit Discovery Park. They will enjoy the sandbox and fill a bucket repeatedly!