Raising a sock baby

By Nevaeh Ortegon

On January 21, 2026, AP Psychology teacher Rachel Reyes had her students at Rialto High School create sock babies and photo albums to document and explore developmental milestones in a hands-on way. 

This project was designed to help students better understand the stages of human development by applying a real-life scenario in a creative way. By tracking their sock baby’s growth, students applied their classroom lessons and developmental theories they've studied throughout this unit. Instead of just memorizing definitions, students had to think deeply about how people grow and change over time, including their physical, mental, and social development. Each stage of the project required written explanations that connected their scenarios to key theories and concepts covered in class.

AP psychology teacher, Rachel Reyes, states, “I decided to give this project because it's a hands-on learning experience that looked fun as well. I'd heard good things about the project from other AP Psych teachers, so I wanted to try to bring the learning to life.” Her goal was to make sure students were not only prepared academically, but actually interested in what they were learning. 

Brooklyn Salcedo, a senior, states, “It made psychology more engaging because I had to make sure to keep track of my sock baby as well as the requirements needed for the project.” 

Janelle Balderas, a junior, states, “My experience was pretty good. It was cool taking care of my baby and acting like she was really growing up, and creating the scenarios made the experience more fun.” For many students, pretending their sock baby was actually developing made the assignment feel more realistic and helped them better understand each stage of growth and development.

A sock baby created for the AP Psychology developmental milestones project. Picture taken by Nevaeh Ortegon.

The project also allowed students to be creative by designing and personalizing their sock babies and photo albums while still adhering to the assignment guidelines. Many students felt that mixing creativity with actual classwork made the information easier to understand and remember. While learning about development, students also practiced responsibility and time management by meeting deadlines and completing each required stage. 

Overall, the sock baby project gave students a different way to learn about human development. It combined hands-on activities with important psychology concepts, making the unit more interesting and memorable. By the end of the project, students had a better understanding of developmental milestones and how people grow and change over time.