Properties

Young children explore the world and everything in it with their whole bodies. They investigate blankets, toys, flowers, water and sand by looking, listening, smelling and touching. As two-year-olds explore, they begin to notice properties like color, size, shape, weight and texture and that things can be hard, soft and squishy. They discover that round balls are good for rolling, soft blankets are cozy for cuddling and water is good for splashing and getting wet. When you provide safe spaces and lots of “stuff” for your two-year-old to investigate (even messy stuff!), you support their learning. When you join in their play, you give them the message that their explorations are important. As you investigate properties with your child, introduce words — like small and large, smooth and rough, round and square and soft and hard — that help them express what they are doing, noticing and thinking about. Each child will be interested in exploring different things, so remember to follow your child’s lead! Help your two-year-old be a safe explorer by reminding them that only food goes in their mouths!