1. Evaluating Toys
Conduct a field experiment to evaluate toys for infants and toddlers. Determine if a child in that age range has the perceptual capacity and the motor skills required to play with it effectively.
- Go to your local toy store, or the toy section of a local store:
- Find a toy that has been deemed specific for the age range of either infant or toddler.
- Describe the toy and discuss what benefit a child might gain by playing with it.
- Discuss the developmental stage that the infant or toddler is at during the age range described by your toy with respect to:
- Motor skills
- Perceptual abilities
- Would you recommend this toy to a parent as a developmental aid?
2. Temperament & the Goodness of Fit Model
Examine the two distinct models of temperament, how it is measured, and the child rearing implications.
- Read the article Infant Attachment: What We Know
- Use the site and the textbook to define temperament and list the structures of temperament.
- Provide an example of each.
- Define goodness of fit and relate it to the temperament of the child.
- Describe how temperament and goodness of fit might influence attachment.
- Provide an example.