Space, secret hideaways, science and your toddler!

The world is an exploration wonderland, especially for toddlers. They love seeking out spaces to crawl into, or places where they can cover themselves and hide... just a special place for them and no one else. As your toddler's body awareness grows, they might enjoy finding a space to squeeze into. 

Your toddler is becoming increasingly aware of their position in the environment  

As a baby, your toddler learned about their surroundings by touching and mouthing objects and things around them, as well as by being carried and pushed.^[1] 

Now that they can move independently, they start to connect information about the space around them and piece together the information absorbed.^[2] 

When they explore their surroundings, they gain knowledge of the positions and properties of three-dimensional objects.^[2] This helps them experiment with the space or spaces they are in and become aware of how their body occupies that space.  

Squeezing into small spaces is a sign of increasing independence 

When your toddler gets the chance to indulge in and manipulate the space around them, they start to make choices like: 

• When to become immersed in their own imagination 
• Seeking quiet time 
• Playing hiding games 

Whatever their motive, the space they find is of utmost importance at that time. 

The science behind finding small spaces: learning about perception as the awareness of space uses senses 

Psychologist Eleanor J. Gibson researched perception and believed that our senses help us adapt to our environment. She stated that humans make sense of the world by learning how to move their body and how to navigate and fit into spaces.^[3] 

At this stage, your toddler is learning how they can adapt their movements given the space they are in or trying to get into. 

Piaget, a psychologist, called this the sensorimotor stage of development. His research concluded that when your toddler started moving, they explored using multiple senses. They are now becoming aware of their own body in space, and the spaces in which they move. 

So, when you next see your toddler squeezing into an area or a place that seems small, or even a bit risky, they are simply finding out about their body and how it can fit into different nooks and crannies. 

References: 

[1] Monesson, A., Scott. L. (2010). Perceptual Development. Perceptual Development. Corsini’s Encyclopedia of Psychology.  

[2] Kellman, P. J., & Arterberry, M. A. (2006). Infant Visual Perception. In Theories of Perceptual Development. D. Kuhn & R. S. Siegler. 

[3] Mina, K., Razieh., S. (2015) Gibson’s Ecological Theory of Development and Affordances: A Brief Review. The International Journal of Indian Psychology. Volume 2, Issue 4, July – September, 2015.