There's something special about those first few days after the birth of a child.
Seeing them for the first time, holding them, naming them. I still remember how I felt after the birth of every one of my children. So many intense emotions swell up inside you. It's a powerful feeling that probably lasts an entire lifetime.
With it comes a huge sense of responsibility. From day one, those little helpless bundles of joy are dependent on you to bring them up into the world.
Naturally, it can be a little overwhelming. What if I mess this up? Fortunately, parenting is a job for life and within a certain margin of error there is room for mistakes. So if you're a new parent don't freak out, you got this under control.
You're probably here because you're already interested in your child's development or perhaps you are just looking for more things to do with your kids. I intend to share lots of resources (links, videos, websites, blogs, books, toys, materials etc) that have worked for me. Try out as many things with your kids as you like and adjust as necessary.
Those who have read my previous post will know that my approach to parenting focuses on raising curiosity and interest in children. It may seem that between the ages of 0-6months, there isn't much a parent can teach them. After all infants can't understand anything you say, don't have a long concentration spans and can't even talk. How can you possibly engage them in anything?
Well, while it appears as though not much development is happening at this age, there is actually a lot of work going on under the hood. Contrary to appearances, they are absorbing and processing huge amounts of information all the time. In fact, Brain development is highest in the first three years of life, and may even peak within the first year. So what are the things you can do to help stimulate your child's development?
Research has shown that the best predictor for intelligence in later life, is infant brain mass. So it seems that the best thing you can give your child is actually a full stomach. If you're interested in reading more I recommend this book by John Medina: brain rules for BABY.
After that it's incredibly important that they are hearing words, and lots of words. So talk to your child as frequently as possible. It may feel a little silly, as they don't talk back but they are listening and every single word they hear helps develop networks in their brains associated with language development.
There are some caveats.
It's not just their minds that are growing. A large part of the development at this age is physical development. Learning how to move all the different parts of their bodies, and how to interpret all the information from all their five senses is just as important. So get them moving, physical interaction is a very big brain stimulator.
Be around them, play with them, interact with them. Do baby exercises with them. And while you do, talk to them. For example, while doing bicycle exercises count out a loud. When drying them off, explain to them the names of the parts of their bodies you are drying. When rocking them in your arms, sing nursery rhymes or the ABC.
It goes without saying that the best thing you can give your child is your time. So give them lots of it, and enjoy watching them grow.
Seeing them for the first time, holding them, naming them. I still remember how I felt after the birth of every one of my children. So many intense emotions swell up inside you. It's a powerful feeling that probably lasts an entire lifetime.
With it comes a huge sense of responsibility. From day one, those little helpless bundles of joy are dependent on you to bring them up into the world.
Naturally, it can be a little overwhelming. What if I mess this up? Fortunately, parenting is a job for life and within a certain margin of error there is room for mistakes. So if you're a new parent don't freak out, you got this under control.
You're probably here because you're already interested in your child's development or perhaps you are just looking for more things to do with your kids. I intend to share lots of resources (links, videos, websites, blogs, books, toys, materials etc) that have worked for me. Try out as many things with your kids as you like and adjust as necessary.
Those who have read my previous post will know that my approach to parenting focuses on raising curiosity and interest in children. It may seem that between the ages of 0-6months, there isn't much a parent can teach them. After all infants can't understand anything you say, don't have a long concentration spans and can't even talk. How can you possibly engage them in anything?
Well, while it appears as though not much development is happening at this age, there is actually a lot of work going on under the hood. Contrary to appearances, they are absorbing and processing huge amounts of information all the time. In fact, Brain development is highest in the first three years of life, and may even peak within the first year. So what are the things you can do to help stimulate your child's development?
Research has shown that the best predictor for intelligence in later life, is infant brain mass. So it seems that the best thing you can give your child is actually a full stomach. If you're interested in reading more I recommend this book by John Medina: brain rules for BABY.
After that it's incredibly important that they are hearing words, and lots of words. So talk to your child as frequently as possible. It may feel a little silly, as they don't talk back but they are listening and every single word they hear helps develop networks in their brains associated with language development.
There are some caveats.
- Not all sounds are equal. Words that are heard through direct human interaction, are much more effective than the words heard through ambient sources or from the radio or television.
- Don't over do it. I once heard a fellow parent say they narrate everything that is happening to get their word frequency up. While this may increase the number of words heard, it might also lead your child to think that narrating ones life is normal. Just be natural. Talk to them just as you would anybody else. Read them stories and reread those stories over and over again. [***] Some great infant books here.
It's not just their minds that are growing. A large part of the development at this age is physical development. Learning how to move all the different parts of their bodies, and how to interpret all the information from all their five senses is just as important. So get them moving, physical interaction is a very big brain stimulator.
Be around them, play with them, interact with them. Do baby exercises with them. And while you do, talk to them. For example, while doing bicycle exercises count out a loud. When drying them off, explain to them the names of the parts of their bodies you are drying. When rocking them in your arms, sing nursery rhymes or the ABC.
It goes without saying that the best thing you can give your child is your time. So give them lots of it, and enjoy watching them grow.
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