Young children love to explore and will use whatever they can get their hands on to explore their developing ideas. As soon as a baby is mobile, collecting and transporting objects becomes a growing obsession.
To begin with, this is random, picking up whatever is at hand, moving it, and 'dumping' it somewhere else. Treasure baskets and heuristic play use interesting collections to attract babies and toddlers, and to stimulate and appeal to a child's senses.
As children develop they become more selective, building on previous experiences and using new skills. At different times they may be using resources to explore combinations of enclosure, enveloping, trajectories and other recognisable schemas of thinking.
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