17/10/2025
How a 3-Year-Old Sees the World
At a kindy I visited, teacher shared me an incident just happened. A 3-year-old bit her friend.
When the teacher asked, “What is your mouth for?”
She said, “To bite others.”
To adults, this sounds shocking — but to her, it makes perfect sense.
At three, children understand the world through experience, not reasoning.
Her perception of “mouth” comes from what she has done with it: eating, tasting, biting. There’s no judgment or intention, just association.
She doesn’t yet know that a mouth can also speak kindly, say no, or express feelings. That meaning must be taught.
So, when a child bites — it’s not “bad behavior.” It’s undeveloped understanding.
Our role as adults is to help redefine their world gently:
🌱 “Your mouth is for eating and talking.”
🌱 “Your mouth helps you say how you feel.”
🌱 “We use words, not bites.”
Children don’t misbehave; they interpret.
And every moment like this is a chance to reshape perception
— from reaction to awareness.
