Helping Infant Brains Develop

Soothing Speak

What does it mean when your baby cries?  What can we do to raise healthy, happy children? What do we already know about early childhood that will help us make good decisions?
  The interaction between parent and child is the key component in child development.  Each child is a unique individual born with certain inherited traits, and how a parent responds and nurtures the baby will promote healthy development for a lifetime.
  Babies’ cries are their first attempts at communication.  They may be telling families that they are hungry, cold, wet, or lonely.  Parents will learn to interpret these cries and learn what their baby needs. When parents respond in a loving, nurturing way, babies learn to trust that they will be taken care of.  As their physical needs are being met, babies are also developing mentally, socially and emotionally.

Develop Bright Minds

Promote Word Growth

Talking, singing, reading, and playing with infants help to promote language and communication skills.  As your baby grows, repeat some of the babbling sounds you hear like “baba, gaga.”  This will encourage more verbal responses from babies.   
  Move on to simple sentences like “Mama’s here.  Daddy’s coming.”  Talk to your baby as you go through the steps of feeding, bathing, dressing or changing a diaper.      When taking baby out, describe what you see around you.  “See the truck.  See the big white truck. It carries things. It is blowing its horn.  The horn goes toot-toot.”  This will help brain development as your child is creating an image of trucks and what they do.
 

Telling Stories Without a Book

Sing traditional lullabies such as Rock-a-bye Baby.  Or make up your own songs such as “Mama loves her baby Sarah,” filling in the blank with the child’s name.  Create rhymes such as “Baby Girl, Little Pearl, or Baby Boy, Pride and Joy” and put them to music. Your baby will be delighted with the attention and interaction. 

Help Brains Grow
 
Reading with young children is so important to learning and brain development.  A cozy lap to sit

Interact Around the House

on makes learning safe and fun.  Feel free to add comments of your own.  For example, when reading Bill Martin Jr.’s, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” ask what sound a brown bear would make.  Follow through with sounds for the other animals.
 
Make learning playful and fun.  Be sure to turn off the TV. It can be harmful to your child’s development because children need immediate feedback.  The TV cannot tell your child “Yes, that’s a cat.” or “That’s a dog not a cat.”  It cannot give other information about cats and dogs.  It cannot provide the human interaction babies need.

Photos: Making Cookies http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Taste testing_the_cookie_dough_with_Grandm.jpg
Author: Gaijin Biker(Big Ben) Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaijinbiker/144528062
Fran Darling, fdarling fotos 
Sketch:  Mark Nowicki

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest