Has your child ever tried todo something very strange, like get in a tiny toy car or sit in a tiny toy chair? It sounds silly but it’s actually a normal part of growing up. It’s called a scale error, when a child tries to use an object in an impossible way because it’s just way too small. But it’s nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s a surprising sign that your child is a clever little language learner!
Scientists studied scale errors by letting children play with child-sized toys and then, after about five minutes, swapped them for tiny versions. The result? Children often tried to use the tiny toys in the same way as the bigger ones. And amazingly, recent research shows the earlier children begin to talk, the more likely they are to make a scale error! Why on earth could this be? Well, it might be because children who know more words are more interested in the shape of objects than their size.Why? Well, from about 18 months, children start grouping objects by their shape and give same-shaped things the same name.
So, if a child knows the word car and sees a new car-shaped toy, they’ll assume it’s… a car! But, being so focussed on the shape of objects may get in the way of them noticing their size! So, don’t worry or try to correct them. It’s all a normal part of growing up, and an interesting sign that you’ve got a clever little language learner on your hands!
Has your child ever tried to do something very strange, like get in a tiny toy car or sit in a tiny toy chair?
It might seem silly, but it's just a normal part of growing up and learning about big and small.
Image caption, Has your child ever tried to do something very strange, like get in a tiny toy car or sit in a tiny toy chair?
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