SkillThinking· 17mo–2.2y

Bottle Dumping (Without Demonstration)

Child turns bottle upside down to dump out small object without being shown how

Medium (60%)
Connected0 related · 3 prereq

What the research says

Referenced across 1 developmental framework: asq_3

Full quotes, source languages, and document links coming soon as we finish the source-evidence indexing pass.

Before this (3)

Required (1)

Helpful

How it's taught

asq_3

Drop crumb or Cheerio into clear bottle without demonstrating solution; observe if child independently inverts bottle

Materials: Small clear bottle (soda bottle or baby bottle), crumb or Cheerio

What mastery looks like

Not yet

Does not turn bottle without demonstration

  • Waits for adult to show how
  • Holds bottle but does not invert it
  • Requires demonstration each time
Emerging

Occasionally turns bottle independently but inconsistently

  • Sometimes inverts bottle without prompting
  • Success rate is low without demonstration
  • May need verbal encouragement
Developing

Usually turns bottle upside down independently

  • Inverts bottle without demonstration most times
  • Shows clear problem-solving strategy
  • May hesitate briefly before acting
Secure

Consistently and immediately turns bottle upside down without demonstration

  • Immediately inverts bottle when crumb is dropped in
  • Shows automatic problem-solving response
  • No hesitation or need for prompting
Reflexive

Spontaneously applies dumping strategy to various containers and situations

  • Uses inversion strategy with different containers
  • Generalizes to other retrieval problems
  • May teach strategy to others

Related activities

No activities directly mapped to this yet. These are age and domain-appropriate alternatives.

Thinking0mo–6mo

Cause and Effect Discovery

Parent helps baby discover that actions produce results — kicking a mobile, shaking a rattle, batting a dangling toy. The agent coaches the parent to observe whether baby connects their own movements to outcomes, building the foundational academic skill of causal reasoning.

Thinking6mo–12mo

Little Scientist

Parent observes baby's systematic exploration of objects — turning, mouthing, banging, dropping, comparing. The agent coaches the parent to recognise these behaviours as scientific inquiry: experimentation, observation, and hypothesis-testing in miniature.

Movement12mo–2y

First Marks

Parent offers crayons or finger paint and the agent coaches the parent to observe toddler's first mark-making — scribbles, dots, lines — as expressions of early aesthetic creativity and motor control.

Thinking0mo–6mo

Where Did It Go? — The Dropping Game

Parent drops a toy in front of baby to see if they look down at the ground to find it. Agent guides parent through a natural play sequence that observes early object tracking and the beginnings of object permanence, while keeping baby engaged and happy.

Thinking18mo–2.5y

Rules of Play — Learning How Things Work

Parent and toddler play a structured game where the agent guides observation of the child's understanding of basic rules and norms — like taking turns, following simple instructions, and understanding 'gentle' versus 'rough.' Uses everyday play situations to assess social cognition.

Thinking12mo–2y

Feelings Faces

Parent names emotions using facial expressions, pictures, or a mirror. The agent coaches the parent to observe the toddler's ability to recognise, name, and connect emotions to experiences — building early emotional literacy and contemplative self-awareness.

Formal assessments

No matching assessment items indexed yet.

Standardised assessment view

2 instruments measure this construct. The construct page shows how each one approaches it and at what age range.

View as assessment construct →