At birth, your baby's brain contains 100 billion neurons! This gives them an immense amount of learning potential and as a parent, you don’t have to be a genius to raise a genius. Success lies within the guidance and love you provide along the way.
The early months of a newborn’s life are developmentally crucial. In this phase, they begin to observe the world around them, familiarize themselves with common or reoccurring objects, and begin to recognize emotions. A hands-on approach and active teaching are the best ways to stimulate and nurture their brains.
These brain-stimulating activities include:
Read books before birth. Linda Clard, the author and literacy consultant of Family Time Reading Fun, states “Even before babies understand what you are reading, they associate the act with warmth and love." Not only are you stimulating your child’s brain but also implicating love and affection with this simple activity.
Be sure to pause throughout your reading to ask questions and identify objects or characters. Stories with pictures help babies associate language with objects.
Sing to them. Singing classic nursery rhymes such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” are fun ways to help them memorize familiar words and animals, identify rhythmic patterns and enjoy the emotional quality of our voices as we rock, soothe or hug.
Hands-on activities. Hands-on activities introduce your little one to new sensations, visual simulations, help develop gross and fine motor skills and much more! Simple activities such as Sensory Baskets, Sticky Wall, Rescue the Animal and Jello Excavation help stimulate brain activity, create novel neural connections and learn in exciting ways.
According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, non-interactive viewing instances such as television or tablets “can be harmful to a baby's language development.” Stick with more interactive entertainment methods and your baby’s brain will give many thanks for it!
Get a Helping Hand!
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