Messy Mealtime Boosts Learning in Toddlers, Study Finds

Rebecca Lewis December 05, 2013

Attention mums and dads – that mess your child is making on the table or in their high chair is an indication that they are feeding their brain with new learning.

Researchers from the University of Iowa examined how 16-month old children learn words from non-solid objects, from oatmeal to glue. Previous studies have shown that toddlers learn more about solid objects easier than non-solid ones because they can easily identify them due to their unchanging size and shape.

The new study indicates that if you put toddlers in a setting they know so well, such as shoving stuff in their mouths, learning increases. They tested their idea by exposing 16-month-olds to 14 non-solid objects, mostly food and drinks like applesauce, pudding, soup and juice. The researchers presented the items to the toddlers, together with made-up words, such as “dax” or “kiv”. A minute later, they asked the children to identify the same food in different sizes or shapes. The children were allowed to explore each object beyond their size and shape, and get a feel of it.

As expected, most of the toddlers went poking, prodding, touching, feeling, eating and even throwing the non-solid objects to understand what they were and make the correct association with the hypothetical names.

Findings showed that children who interacted the most with the non-solid objects were more likely to correctly identify them by their texture and name them.

That’s because they are "used to seeing nonsolid things in this context, when they’re eating," says co-researcher Larissa Samuelson, associate professor in psychology at the UI. "And, if you expose them to these things when they’re in a highchair, they do better. They’re familiar with the setting and that helps them remember and use what they already know about non-solids."

"It’s the material that makes many non-solids," Samuelson notes, "and how children name them."

The setting matters too, the researchers add. For instance, children in a high chair were better at identifying objects than those in other venues. And that’s because “kids know they can get messy there,” she adds.

"It may look like your child is playing in the high chair, throwing things on the ground, and they may be doing that, but they are getting information out of (those actions)," Samuelson contends. "And, it turns out, they can use that information later. That’s what the high chair did. Playing with these foods there actually helped these children in the lab, and they learned the names better."

So next time, don’t let the mess in the high chair bother you. Smile instead, and know that your child is learning something.

The study was published in the journal Developmental Science.

Source of this article:

Oxytocin enhances brain function in children with autism