Ways of the water: A case of twin toddlers’ choreographies and joyful explorations with drinking bottles

In this study, we combine video-analytic co-operative action theory with a new materialist perspective to analyse a naturally occurring, video-recorded instance of affective engagement among human and nonhuman participants. Our data consist of a short video depicting 1-year-old twins playing with water bottles. Moving beyond a human-centred starting point we explore the choreographies through which water participates in multisensorial engagements with and among the toddlers. Drawing on concept of choreography, we examine the early interactional becomings of human bodies in relation to the world, as expressed through joy, laughter, and spontaneous explorations of environmental affordances. While our multidisciplinary approach aims to advance both theoretical and methodological discussions, this study also offers empirical insights for the field of childhood studies and for everyday family practices. Specifically, we propose that, as human beings and researchers, we can learn from children's open-ended ways of relating to the world. Rather than merely controlling or utilising nonhuman materials as resources – or engaging with them in conventional ways – such materials can be understood as co-participants that contribute to meaningful action and spontaneous play.