Places & Spaces

A toddler is aware only of what's immediately before him. But by 2, a child grasps the relative placements of things, and his understanding of space expands between 2 and 2 1/2. No, not his understanding of the cosmos but of where people and objects are in his own little world. This includes concepts such as "there," "where," "inside" and "outside," "go away," "near" and "far," "way up in the sky," and "over" and "under." He's gaining a better sense of size, quantity, and other spatial relationships.

You can see this new grasp of spatial thinking in the words he picks up and in his growing ability to follow directions: "Bring me the ball that's over in the corner." "Look on top of the bed."

Some ways to reinforce this new understanding:

• Talk about where people in his life are when they're not with him: "Daddy's at work." "Grandma lives far away."
• Give a series of simple instructions that involve different directions, such as first putting a toy on the chair, then under the chair, and then giving it back to you.
• Ask questions that prompt him to think about location: "Where do birds live?" "Where do airplanes fly?" "Where's the door?" (Don't expect a correct answer every time or turn it into a quiz; just make questions like these part of your everyday conversation.)

Ambil article ni dari babycenter.com. Good info to be shared...^_^