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Building ConfidenceListening & Following DirectionsAges 3–4

Closing Her Eyes Is How She Tests Reality

That 'if I can't see you, you can't see me' move isn't silliness — it's a toddler testing how the world works.

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Research Says

Everyone Sees What I See

During the preoperational stage, children genuinely assume everyone else experiences the world exactly as they do — a stage Simply Psychology describes as egocentric thinking, most famously shown in Piaget's Three Mountains study. So when she shuts her eyes mid-mischief, she's not performing — she's running a real experiment on how seeing and being seen actually work.

Simply Psychologysimplypsychology.org

Try this

Play Along, Then Wonder Aloud

Try closing your own eyes too and ask, "Can you still see me?" It turns her theory into a shared little experiment instead of a correction.

Narrate What You Notice

Some families name it lightly — "Oh, your eyes are closed, but I can still see you!" — and let her draw her own conclusion.

So when she tries this trick at the dinner table tonight, what's the move?

When she tries this trick at the dinner table tonight, what's your move?

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Read it together

DWKD picture books turn everyday moments into stories you read with your child, then talk about together.

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