How your toddler learns from bumping into things

Sensory processing makes up a large part of everyday life; we continually decide how much space there is, how something feels, or assess whether something can be reached. We use senses including vision, proprioception and touch to make these decisions. Your toddler is currently learning how to interpret all this information, and they do this by having direct contact with objects in their environment. 

Your toddler’s central nervous system adjusts their movements based on feedback from touch, proprioception and vision.  

The central nervous system builds a model for learning about movements, made up from sensory information.^[1] 

Every day, your toddler learns more about the positions of their body, arms and legs.^[1] This is the case whether they are still or moving. The central nervous system stores this information to help with future movements and learning. 

From just a few weeks old, your toddler started to learn how to reach with their arms and then over a few months learned how to grasp objects with their fingers and hands. Storing this information helped them learn how to move successfully and is now making them aware of where their arms end. 

To be able to judge whether they can travel past something without bumping into it, your toddler must have control over their joints and muscles and be aware of where their body parts end.  

A growing understanding of their body, combined with an improvement in their vision, will help them become aware of how to create more controlled movements of their limbs.^[2]  

Scientists also suggest that when a toddler’s coordination becomes more controlled, they have a better chance of understanding and responding to information received when moving.^[2]  

Your toddler is highly likely to bump into things while their brain and central nervous system process sensory information. 

Bumping into things is a typical development progression. When they bump into something, your toddler immediately receives a message which might signal for them to stop or to change the movement or direction of the body part that felt the bump.^[2] 

In time, this information will help them become aware of where things are and more able to navigate space effectively.  

Different things will also affect your toddler’s awareness of their body in spaces, such as the speed they are moving and how they are moving.  

When they walk faster, or even run, things come upon them far quicker than when walking. To stop themselves from bumping into any stationary objects, your toddler needs to see what’s there and respond by moving and controlling their limbs.  

Developing these responses is going to take some time, and your toddler will need you to be their eyes and look out for obstacles. 

References: 

[1] Tarakci, E. (2016). Growth, Development and Proprioception in Children. OMICS group ebooks. 

[2] Henderson, C.Y. (2011) Interrater and retest reliability of multi-joint upper limb position sense in children.