What really matters- Theory of Mind- I can share my internal feelings and show you what my attention is on.  Whit was learning that she can share her emotional experiences with us.  It is common for toddlers to point things out to their parents, talk about things, or bring things to their parents for the parent to inspect. They delight in sharing what they have found out with their parents and love when their parents get as excited as they do.  This process has been called "affective sharing" and is an important part of a little one's social and emotional growth.  Developmentalists suggest that these behaviors are important because they not only signal a budding theory of mind and ability to read others, but also the toddler's ability to understand that emotions can be shared and to recognize the perspective of another.

How to put it into practice-

As mentioned in the Early Gesturing post, pointing reveals a babies attempt to share their attention and to communicate their interest to others. Infants can also read your intent by learning specific joint attention skills like gaze-following and point-following. Initially, your manual actions, not gaze shifts, serve to draw infants’ attention.

If you coordinate your gaze with your hand movements, your infant might learn to follow your gaze more easily. This growing ability to emotionally and mentally share experiences is a critical foundation to be nurtured.

Find opportunities for sharing attention and affect. For example, when I saw a the helicopter or airplane looming overhead or a boat on the lake, I would direct Whit’s attention to it, by pointing or even physically directing her gaze.  I shared my awe with Whit by exaggerating my facial expressions.

By sharing my emotions about events with Whit and other family members, I am helping Whit learn about the importance of shared communication.  Your delight in simple things will help your baby see the value of sharing affective experiences!

Discovering & developing Whit’s story-