The Toddler View
Remember when your child would instantly spin around to you when you said, “cookie” even though you thought they were not listening? Toddlers have an incredible ability to pay attention to all the details around them. It is their superpower! Adults naturally filter out extraneous information, like a cool pattern of shadows on a sidewalk, but toddlers do not know what is most important. There is actually a biological basis for this. Young children have fewer inhibitory neurotransmitters, the chemicals that prevent neurons from firing, so their brain is constantly exploding with stimuli. It is similar to what you see when you visit an exotic new location. Your attention is overtaken by new sounds, smells, and sights.
This super attention is critical for learning, but it can be a distraction for a child, and sometimes can be very frustrating for you. You may feel a bit better knowing that one reason your toddler likes you to read the same book over and over to them is because when they hear it again, they are not distracted by as much of the new information. Young children learn new words when they are exposed to them in the same stories read repeatedly. They fail to learn these new words when they are exposed to them in different stories. So while you may have your child’s favorite kids book memorized, they are still delighted by the new sounds and words that they are uncovering with each repetition. Check out our first post on Toddler Goggles. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other topics you would like to have discussed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.