When you think about the role memory plays in problem solving for your child, you will see him observe, think about a problem, and then later remember what he saw someone else do and imitate it.
Through everyday routines, parents can provide opportunities for their children’s memories to improve. When getting ready for the bath, encourage your child to recall what is needed to take a bath. This will encourage your child to think about what to do if he doesn’t have items necessary for taking a bath.
Your child is also starting to understand the relationship between objects, and you will see your child exploring this through cause and effect. As your child’s understanding of cause and effect develops, he will express interest in pushing buttons and turning light switches on and off to see what happens.
You will see your child explore cause and effect situations all around him.
One example is your child interacting with a family cat using a cat toy, a ball attached at one end to a string.
To see a cause, your child needs to think about how to produce the action needed to get a response from the cat (should he move the cat toy up or down, fast or slowly?). Your child will see the effect of bouncing the toy in front of the cat’s face.
Activities like simple interactions with a family pet enable your child’s brain to absorb knowledge and grow. It is important to expose your two year old to a variety of stimuli and allow him to have hands-on interaction with different materials.
In other words, two year olds need sensory rich activities because when your child is able to both see and touch the objects he is exploring, he will make a deeper connection and develop a better understanding of concepts like cause and effect. Your child’s learning process has become more thoughtful and goes beyond just manipulating objects physically. This is why it is important to provide your child with the high-quality toys (which does not have to mean expensive) that are important to his learning processes.
As you think about buying toys, here are some examples that encourage a two year old’s problem solving abilities:
• Wood puzzles (with four to twelve pieces) are excellent because your child has to really think about where the pieces fit.
• Find blocks that snap together encourage your two year old to think about how to f it them.
• Use objects that can be sorted (by size, shape, color, smell) and things with hooks, buttons, buckles, and snaps.
