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Why do toddlers find apparently ordinary objects so engaging? Toddlers gain knowledge about the physical world by acting on such objects. In fact, the meaning of an object is often understood in terms of what the toddler can do with it. Through play toddlers learn how objects can be related to the self and to other objects. By reflecting on the effects of their actions, young children are increasingly able to construct more complex spatial relationships and formulate new concepts about the physical world.

In this Thinkprint, Kaylee is on the kitchen floor playing with a set of plastic containers and lids. She has been exploring these objects for 45 minutes. Watch as Kaylee tries to fit a blue lid on top of a yellow measuring cup (M). She knows the blue thing is a lid, and assumes it should sit over the opening of a similarly sized object. Her persistence suggests that she believes the two objects were simply not aligned correctly, so she gives it another try. But when it does not fit on the top she changes her goal to fit the lid into the bottom. Watch toward the end of this clip how she shakes the cup to release the lid stuck in the bottom. She knows "what goes in, should come out." In reading Kaylee’s “likely thoughts,” you will gain an appreciation for the fantastic opportunities that containers offer children for exploring the logic of action and the joy of pretense.

Keywords: Twos, Containers, Child-Object, Pretense, Empty/Full, Thinkprint

Length of Thinkprint: 16 paragraphs, 14 video subclips