5 Activities to Help Your Baby’s Development
While parenting courses and books are incredibly valuable sources when it comes to fuelling your child’s development, many of the techniques that benefit babies the most are simple and intuitive. It’s easy to become overly obsessed with time lines–the ages at which your baby ‘should’ be walking, talking, crawling, smiling etc–but the most important thing is to do everything you can to make sure your child has a loving and supportive environment in which he or she feels able to learn and grow. Here are a few holistic tips on helping your baby’s development. Enjoy!
Interaction
As humans, we constantly model ourselves and our actions in relation to others. An infant’s list of acquaintances will primarily consist of family members for the first few months, so it’s your job to engage them as often as possible in interaction. We’re not talking here about reading complex algebra equations to your newborn or teaching them art appreciation, just about the general back-and-forth that occurs between humans. Sometimes people forget that your baby not being able to talk yet does not exclude them from being able to listen, so talking constantly to your child, letting he or she see different facial expressions and playing off different moods or expressions is a perfect way to start teaching them about relationships and engagement.
Playing
Once your baby becomes more aware of his or her surroundings, introduce toys and visually/aurally stimulating props to playtime. To start off with, toys don’t have to be particularly advanced–anything with an interesting texture, colour or sound is a great start, and you’ll find your child is naturally drawn towards certain toys. Providing a range of new and exciting things for your baby to interact with will encourage imagination and curiosity, two of the most vital tools for healthy development.
Touch
Helping your child to engage all of his or her senses is an important part of development, which is why it is so important to touch and hold your baby frequently. Through your touch you child will learn confidence, love and comfort, and understand ways of expressing emotion. You can also use touch to physically stimulate blood flow and enhance motor skills, by employing baby massage and building your child’s strength and flexibility. Development is not only about emotions or learning, it is about physical growth and health, which is why stimulating nerve endings and blood flow is so beneficial to a child’s body.
Watching your baby grow and learn is one of the true joys of parenthood. Anything you can do to aide this process is a pleasure and an honour, and you will find hours of enjoyment each day watching as your baby discovers this great wide world and all the adventures to be had.