My 10-month old daughter just proved that she understands some words. Now, when we tell her to “clap your hands”, or even just talk about clapping, we get a round of applause. Pretty cute! This wasn’t one of the things we were actively trying to teach her, like “daddy”, “mommy”, “dog”, or “milk” – I haven’t seen evidence that she knows those yet.
It just goes to show how learning works: motivation trumps deliberate efforts to teach. Clapping is just plain fun.
It’s spooky to think about what else she might come to understand without us knowing.
From July 26, 2017