children seek "affordances" (I think that's the word my textbook used)-- basically, experiences involving all the senses and skills that the human body and mind are capable of. Activity, physical or mental, is rewarding at a neurochemical level-- for adults as well as children (why else play video games, read books, dance, sing, anything?)

What's amazing isn't that she's "sought out" an activity that helps her learn, but rather that almost anything she does at this age-- running, playing, chattering-- are all learning experiences, strengthening pathways in her brain. Wild, huh?