Walks around, climbs over or under obstacles when moving around

Your toddler has been experimenting with moving since they were in the womb, however their movements are now considerably more advanced and controlled. It might not seem like that long ago that they were being supported to crawl and walk, whereas now they are gaining a lot of confidence in moving around independently. By now your toddler is growing and learning rapidly and as their curiosity into their world grows, their developing skills in movement present them with more opportunities to explore. [1] 

The world is exciting 

Whilst your toddler was learning to walk, they were already exploring obstacles in the form of different floor surfaces and surfaces that may have been sloped or slippery. There were most likely obstacles already in their way such as furniture or toys. [2] When your toddler was dealing with these challenges, they will have naturally tried out different ways of moving past them. They will have learned how to solve many problems on their own to successfully navigate themselves around a variety of places and spaces. [2] 

Whole body problem solving  

It is around now that your toddler is learning more advanced ways of moving, and has started to explore travelling around, over, on and up. [1] They are using their knowledge and their ever-growing motor muscles to be able to execute the different movements necessary to navigate around obstacles. [2] 

When a toddler comes across an obstacle, their vestibular system works in tandem with their proprioceptive system to help them assess the specific challenge. Their far better developed cognitive capabilities work in tandem with these systems to help them solve the situation at hand. All of their knowledge and experience is now coming together to figure out how to get from one part of the space to the next. The knowledge they've gained from experimenting with different ways of moving, different surfaces, and different postures while attempting to travel from one location to another has provided them with a solid foundation for tackling obstacles. [3] It is around this stage that the different muscles groups have developed enough to allow them to move around using strategies such as running, crawling, propelling, ducking, walking sideways etc.  

What next? 

Your toddler will begin to fine-tune their movements in order to become more coordinated. They may bump into particular obstacles as they put their developing abilities and motions into place, but the more they practice, the better the implementation of the movements will become. 

References 

[1] L. Woodfield (2004). Physical Development in the Early Years. Continuum International Publishing Group 

[2] K.E. Adolph (2008). Article: Learning to Move. Current Directions in Psychological Science. PMC Published June 28th 2008. Available online at: Learning to Move (nih.gov) 

[3] M.N. Horgera, S.E. Bergerab (2019). Article: The role of walking experience on whole-body exploration and problem solving. Cognitive Development. Volume 52, October–December 2019, 100825. Available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.100825