Natalie sits on the bathroom counter by the sink and reaches for the faucet handle. She twists the handle back and forth, but does not pull, so the water does not turn on. She switches her attention to the lotion bottle and twists the cap back and forth, but does not push, so no lotion comes out. She tries twisting the drain plug, but does not push or pull. She alternates these twists among the lotion bottle, drain plug and water faucet. Learning Story: Natalie October 6, 2007 by Candice

2 She is eventually successful at turning on the water. She looks at me, and I smile and say, “Ooh, water.” She turns back to the faucet and twists the handle and looks at the water a few moments. She turns the water off and then tries again to turn it on, but she is not immediately successful and again alternates between the lotion, the plug and the faucet.

3 She notices the nightlight behind her and reaches out to explore it, and I say, “No. Ouch.” She looks at me, removes her hand and goes back to work. Later, she reaches back and touches it, and I say, “No. Ouch.” She looks at me and then at the nightlight, almost touches it, looks at me, and returns to her twisting explorations.

4 At one point she pulls on the lotion cap and it comes off in her hand. She then focuses on trying to push it back onto its tiny tube, at times pressing her fingertip on the hole. She alternates between attempting to put back the lotion cap and twisting the plug and turning the faucet on and off. A few times, she puts the lotion spout or the soap spout into her mouth. She sucks until the she gets a taste, then looks up at me with a grimace and puts the bottle back down.

5 She succeeds in replacing the cap on the lotion bottle and looks up at me, raising her eyebrows with an almost-smile. I smile back and say, “You did it.” She smiles and turns back to the faucet, again twisting and turning the water on and off. She continues this way for a long time (more than 30 minutes!), meanwhile migrating closer to the sink – feet in, legs in, and finally sitting in the sink. Her “blankie” gets wet, and she sits in the water and sucks on an end of it, dips it back in the water, and sucks on it again. She feels the water with her fingers, lifts her pant leg while the water flows over her calf.

6 She turns again to the lotion bottle. She removes the cap, and again practices putting the cap back on. It takes her many minutes, again alternating with twisting the faucet and turning the water on and off, but she is ultimately successful in replacing the cap. She looks again at me and claps once. I smile back and say, “You did it.” She is completely soaked from her waist down, and it is nearing time for dinner. She has turned the water off, and the cap is still on the lotion bottle, so I take this opportunity to tell her, “It’s time to get out of the sink.” She scoots out of the sink and I lift her down to the stool. I give her a small towel and I take one, and I say, “We need to dry the water first.” She watches me wipe the water with the towel, and rubs hers a bit on the small area of countertop immediately in front of her face. I pick her up and carry her upstairs to have a bath and get into her pajamas before dinner.

7 In the bath she explores the soap bottle cap and puts her finger on the hole, the bottle in her mouth, and stays in the tub until I tell her it’s time to eat. She scowls for a moment but I smile and say, “I need to pick you up out of the tub.” She looks at me and lets me lift her out of the tub.

8 What learning happened here? Natalie is practicing her fine motor skills, twisting, pushing and pulling, and demonstrating her focus and persistence. She is interested in the feel of the water, but more focused on the task of turning the faucet on and off. She mouths and sucks on the lotion, soap and water. She spends a lot of time learning how to control the faucet and learning how to remove and replace the cap of the lotion bottle. Her attention lasts more than 30 minutes, until I interrupt in order to get ready for dinner. She does not look to me for help or reassurance except at the moment of accomplishment, and even then she simply looks to me in acknowledgment. I stay by her side to protect her from falling, and also to tell her “no, ouch,” when she reaches (twice) for the nightlight. She is independent, secure enough to experiment and persist, and thoughtful and responsive when warned to not touch the electric nightlight.

9 What next? More practice! I discuss this happening with her parents and encourage them to provide bottles and jars for twisting and lifting caps and lids. The best items will be safe for her fingers and her mouth, as she is eager to explore with both. In addition, it is evident that Natalie is interested in and persistent at learning fine motor skills, and she will benefit from practice with a fork, puzzles with medium-sized pieces and other fine motor activities.