Your Clever Toddler in Week 84: Intervening in the World Efficiently

What's it all mean? Well, you know that at this age, toddlers are busy making connections between their own behavior and the behaviors of others (essentially, gauging, "How do I act first?" "What should I do next?" "What's normal here?"). And through this analysis, they come to realize that people around them encounter the world in much the same way as they do. In time, children make assumptions that the interventions of others are like their own, and when they're different they wonder why.

This goes for interacting with objects, too: Once your child catches on to your normal, efficient use of tools around the house, anything that defies everyday logic is cause for confusion: When you do something out of the ordinary that serves no apparent purpose, your toddler will look perplexed and may try instead to use the more efficient method that they've come to know.

For fun, observe the look on your child's face if you tried to eat soup with a fork. She would know it was a ridiculous effort unless for some reason all the spoons in the house went missing. She wouldn't copy you; she'd use her spoon.

Sure, it may feel like just a party trick now, but in the long term, this skill is the stuff that drives innovation. Consider this: We all used to use typewriters; then someone created a new, more efficient way to write mechanically using word processing software. Now we regularly upgrade our software because the people who make it are able to create more effective, proficient programs to complete the same tasks. It's what we humans are all about … getting things done quickly and more efficiently by using fewer resources. It's amazing that this interest shows up in little engineers as young as 18 months!

Coming soon, look forward to: Week 85: Mirror Recognition
Review the most recent accomplishments: Week 83: Conflict of Desire

Curious about how else your toddler might be developing right now? Learn more about her clever brain and her growing body here:

• What's happening in Month 20?
• Here's what our pediatrician says you might be worried about this month.