"He CAN Do It !"

On a recent home visit with 23 month old Logan, I was preparing to do a lesson on blowing. (Blowing is an important skill for toddlers to do and practice because it helps develop the small muscles around the lips and cheeks ,which play an important role in speech development.)I asked mom,through our translator Daniabelle, if Logan knew how to blow because if not we would show him by blowing on our arms. Mom assured me,"Oh yes,yes, he can do it!" So, I gave Logan and mom a straw. I asked mom to model for Logan blowing into the straw so that the air coming out would move a small cotton ball across a cookie sheet. Mom agreed and showed Logan how to do the activity. Then, Logan tried to make the cotton ball move by blowing into his straw. However, I soon realized that Logan had no idea how to blow. He tried and tried! Mom, Daniabelle and I kept encouraging Logan. Then, Logan took the straw out of mouth and did something that surprised us all! He held the straw with his hand and used it as mini golf club to move the cotton ball across the cookie tray. We were amazed by his problem solving skills! Although he may need to practice blowing, we left the visit feeling great about his determination and ability to solve problems.