Do you have a toddler who keeps changing their mind about what they’re interested in? Do they love new objects better than ones they’ve already seen? Well, when it comes to learning language, variety is the spice of life! As soon as they’ve learned something, your little one wants to move on to something new.
Many studies show this. When scientists show toddlers lots of pictures of cats; and then show them a picture of a cat and a picture of a dog, toddlers will spend much longer looking at the dog because they’ve already learned what a cat looks like. They’re learning about groups. And, amazingly, their ability to put pictures into groups improves, if they hear the name of the group, while they’re looking at the pictures.
So even when your toddler is very little, language shapes the way they understand the world. By 12 - 18 months, your toddler is already building up the number of words they know -and you can help them learn more! Naming the new things they see makes them more interested in them. And if they’re interested in something, they’re more likely to learn the word for it. And, your toddler will learn more if they have plenty of opportunities to play with new things – and they might be ones you wouldn’t expect!
Are you finding that the things that most interest your toddler are changing all the time?
This is to do with the way they're learning - they always want to find out about something new.
Image caption, Do you have a toddler who keeps changing their mind about what they’re interested in? Do they love new objects better than ones they’ve already seen? Well, when it comes to learning language, variety is the spice of life!
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