While caring for my 10-month-old nephew, I was sitting nearby observing him play. He was manipulating a ball and it fell out of his hands and rolled under a chair with several rungs underneath. He looked at the ball which was resting on the back rung underneath the chair and tried to reach through and grab the ball but his arm was too short and he could not reach it. He looked over at me and I simply commented that his ball had rolled under the chair. He then turned back to the chair and tried reaching for it again from different angles but still no luck. After sitting there and looking at the ball for about 4-5 minutes, he then put his hand on one of the rungs underneath the chair and pulled the chair. This motion caused the ball to roll forward and bring it just close enough for him to reach in again and grab it! The look on his face of pride and achievement was priceless. I just smiled. He grabbed his ball, crawled away from the chair and continued to play.
Principle: Trust in the Infant’s Competence
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