The Toddler Pull

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

08 Aug 2006 10:19 AM

A couple of days ago, my daughter was digging around in the bin that houses all of her old baby toys. We've held onto them for sentimental reasons, for the most part, but there are four toys in there that were purchased for her on her first Christmas, so it's neat to have those as some of the first Christmas gifts she ever received.

One of the toys she pulled out and started playing with immediately enchanted my now walking (I can't believe he is growing so fast!) 10 and half month old nephew. He toddled towards it excitedly and then went to his hands and knees at a fast crawl. The toy - based on the Rolie Polie Olie television show from Playhouse Disney. It's a pull toy that makes a lot of music and features Rolie, Zoey and Spot. They bob a bit as the toy rolls along. She loved many of the Rolie Polie Olie toys.

My nephew immediately started pulling it around, just like my daughter used to.

What's the Fascination with Pulling?

Toddlers love pull toys. In my experience, they can play with a pull toy for hours. It's kind of startling to witness because these toys aren't necessarily that fascinating for us as adults. So why are toddlers so fascinated with them?

According to child psychologists, the fascination with pull toys is that toddlers have control. When they pull it, it moves. Babies notice a relationship between what they do and what happens as early as 6 months of age. They know if they let something go, it falls and disappears.

Eventually, they learn that if they reach out and grab something, they can bring it back to them. Learning to pull and control the object is the next stage in their learning development.

So what happens after pulling? Usually pushing and climbing are the next stage.

When did your toddler get fascinated with pull toys?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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