Podcast Summary: Talking Toddlers – Why Your Toddler Does That: The Real Learning Behind Climbing, Dumping & Exploring (Ep 129)

Host: Erin Hyer
Release Date: November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, veteran speech-language pathologist Erin Hyer unpacks why toddlers engage in what might look like chaotic, repetitive, or “unproductive” behaviors like climbing, dumping, and exploring. She reframes these actions as essential work that wires the brain for future learning and development. Erin emphasizes that movement is foundational for attention, language, curiosity, and self-control. She empowers parents to value and facilitate natural play rather than feeling pressured to provide endless new toys, “enriching” gadgets, or structured activities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Play Is Not Extra – It’s Essential (00:01–06:30)

• Erin addresses parental worries about messes and chaotic play: “Those messy little moments are the productive work. This is the age when movement wires the brain for thinking, focus, and first words” (00:10).
• She urges parents to see play as active learning: “Play isn’t a break from learning. Play is learning.” (06:00)

2. Movement as Nature’s Curriculum (06:30–13:10)

• Movement builds attention → attention sparks curiosity → curiosity leads to language (“That sequence is nature’s curriculum. I believe it’s God designed in the most beautiful form.” (07:15))
• Toddlers don’t learn by sitting still or with fancy gadgets—they learn through moving, doing, and exploring their actual environment.
• The modern world’s “more is more” mindset (with screens, structured activities, and constant gadgets) can crowd out these necessary experiences.

3. The Science Behind Motion & Brain Wiring (13:10–22:15)

• Every physical challenge—crawling, climbing, problem-solving—creates and strengthens neural pathways.
• Simple, repeat movements “strengthen those neural highways between the hemispheres… the same network we use for later things like reading, writing, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and social skills” (15:30).
• Motor planning activities (climbing, obstacle courses) train the developing frontal lobe, necessary for impulse control and adaptability.

4. Challenges to Natural Learning in Modern Culture (22:15–26:00)

• Movement in school settings is being cut back; “only 56% of American schools offer more than 20 minutes of recess a day” (23:00).
• Erin cautions against relying on institutions for healthy development: “Protect these early years at home as long as you can. … Healthy human development begins and thrives in the family, not institutions.” (25:10)

5. Real Life Stories: Modeling and Encouraging Independence (26:00–34:50)

• Erin shares stories from her parenting groups:
  • Letting a toddler climb into her own high chair: “I tapped her knee to just give her a tactile cue… And once she sat there, she was very proud.” (28:20)
  • Demonstrating crawling and problem-solving with a hesitant mom and her child.
• Key message: Give children space to attempt, struggle, and master tasks. “By doing everything for them, that interrupts the learning process.” (32:40)

6. Why Crawling Still Matters (34:50–43:00)

• Erin challenges recent guidelines downplaying crawling as a milestone: “Crawling isn’t about walking, it’s about wiring.” (38:05)
• Cross-body movements like crawling build the corpus callosum, the ‘neural bridge’ between right and left hemispheres, which underpins reading, writing, social, and self-regulation skills.
• “If you ask any on-the-floor developmental specialist… crawling is critical.” (39:42)
• Integration continues into adolescence, with brain development ongoing well through the 20s.

7. Less is More: Simplicity in Play Environments (43:00–52:00)

• Erin recounts a story of a child overwhelmed by a room full of toys, which improved after reducing the selection to a few meaningful items.
• Research: A University of Toledo study found toddlers played longer, more creatively, and more deeply with four toys versus sixteen (50:30).
• “Fewer toys allow for deeper and more sophisticated play. It cleans up their cognitive noise.” (51:10)

8. Everyday Play & Core “Jobs” for Toddlers (52:00–56:30)

• Containers and dumping: filling and emptying supports hand-eye coordination, language (“in the box, out of the box”), and cognitive processing.
• Stacking and knocking: Supports sequencing, patience, balance, and understanding cause and effect.
• Steps and stairs: “A toddler’s gym… climbing integrates both sides of the brain and boosts independence.”
• Helper jobs: Participating in real chores builds autonomy, social skills, and confidence—“They love belonging… and it really brings such pride and ownership.” (55:05)

9. Developmental Plateaus vs. Regression (56:30–01:06:05)

• Plateaus are normal; the brain is consolidating. Regression (loss of skills) is never normal and warrants closer attention.
• If concerns arise, Erin urges consulting with experienced developmental specialists—not to get a “label” but to understand, reassure, and recalibrate.

10. The Gift of Connection and Simple Rhythms (01:06:05–End)

• Erin closes with a broader message for parents:
  • More toys and activities aren’t the answer; the best gift is connection, family rituals, and creating routines that foster curiosity and competence.
  • “Children learn best through movement, through a lot of repetition, through engagement with the people that love them most… Your voice, your presence, and your willingness to sit on the floor, follow their lead, laugh, mess up, and do it again. That’s what wires children’s foundation.” (01:10:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Play isn’t a break from learning. Play is learning.” (06:00)
• “Movement builds their attention, attention sparks curiosity, and curiosity leads language. That sequence is nature’s curriculum.” (07:20)
• “By doing everything for them, that interrupts the learning process. … Picking them up and plopping them in the high chair is faster and easier. But ask yourself, what is she learning?” (32:40)
• “Crawling isn’t about walking. It’s about wiring.” (38:05)
• “Fewer toys allow for deeper and more sophisticated play. It cleans up their cognitive noise… We saw this in practice years before they did the study.” (51:10)
• “Consistency will build competence, and it’s that competence that builds confidence.” (54:40)
• “Children are not miniature adults. Their brains develop best through movement throughout their day.” (around 49:50, referencing a developmental neuroscientist)
• “You are the most important person in your child’s development, and my role is simply to guide you with more clarity, a little bit of science, and a whole lot of real life experience.” (04:15)
• “Family is your child’s first classroom and belonging to one another—learning through everyday moments—is beautiful.” (01:13:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment Title | Time | |--------------------------------------|------------| | Why Play Matters | 00:01–06:30| | Movement Wires the Brain | 06:30–13:10| | Science of Motion & Brain Wiring | 13:10–22:15| | Modern Life’s Challenges | 22:15–26:00| | Stories from Real Life & Independence| 26:00–34:50| | Crawling Still Critical | 34:50–43:00| | Less is More: Play Simplicity | 43:00–52:00| | Toddler’s “Jobs” in Play | 52:00–56:30| | Plateaus vs. Regression | 56:30–01:06:05| | Closing: Gifts of Simplicity & Connection |01:06:05–end|

Tonal Highlights

• Warm, supportive, empowering: Erin encourages and reassures parents who worry if they’re doing enough or doing things “right.”
• Informative and approachable: Science is woven seamlessly into relatable stories and practical, actionable suggestions.
• Advocacy for children’s needs: Erin questions trends that deprioritize movement milestones and cautions against discarding trusted developmental wisdom in favor of convenience or new “norms.”

Conclusion

This episode is a heartfelt, science-informed reminder that toddlers’ “messy” explorations are the real work of growing brains. Parents are urged to clear space, slow down, reduce toys, and join their children in movement, play, and everyday life. Through these daily, ordinary moments—climbing, crawling, dumping, helping, and simply being together—children build the attention, confidence, and curiosity they need to thrive.

For more:

• Listen to previous episodes like “Crawling Got Cut, But It’s Still Critical” (Ep 104)
• Look for more guidance and resources from Erin Hyer at [Talking Toddlers]