I took my son to his toddler group earlier this week, the first time since the summer break. Having not been there in over 6 weeks, he knew exactly where we were when we turned onto the road of the school where the toddler group is held. He remembered exactly where all his favourite toys were and the names of people he hadn’t seen in almost 3 months.He pointed to a fan on the exterior wall that he always points out, as he did and does with the bike shed.
Even at home, it is clear that he is constantly accessing his memory as well as creating new associations and connections, creating new memories with the new information he has accumulated in the process. He remembered a pair of shoes he used to wear when he was much younger, he recognises faces in photographs of people he no longer sees, he knows all numbers 0-9 from any given source material, and is starting to recognise letters too. He is learning new words at an astonishing rate and has an ever-growing vocabulary. He has recently learned the world ‘help’ and uses it in it’s proper context. Whenever he needs assistance with something, he will hand the object over to you and say, “help”.
I watch him in awe everyday and find the whole process extraordinary. I find the connections and associations that his little mind is making absolutely astonishing, yet I find it baffling at the same time.
You see, I don’t remember a single thing about when I was his age. Who has any memories at all of being two? I know I certainly don’t. He is only just starting to learn language, and his mind is growing at such a rapid rate, so how does this new information become processed in an infant’s mind? How is a child who has little or no ability to talk, able to process a thought in their mind at all? Also, if these memories/associations/connections are forgotten when you get older, where do these memories go?
Hmmmmmmm……. any ideas? Any one?
