1. Kim and Carrots: If it walks, flaps, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a toddler trying to figure out how ducks navigate the world. For very young children, imitation is a critical pathway to understanding. Ultimately, imitation builds language skills and even supports social development. Toddlers imitate ducks—or the family cat or dog—in order to discover what it feels like to be one of these interesting creatures. And they imitate you as a way of becoming more and more like the person they love.
2. Earthworms: When earthworms appear on the sidewalk after a rain shower, stop to take a closer look with your children. You might wonder together about where that worm wants to go, which end is its head, or whether or not earthworms have eyes.…
