Hey y’all, I’m Keri - an educator, wife, and mama of two littles. I’m on a mission to empower parents and educators to find the lessons in everyday life.
A big question I always get asked is, “What can I do with my baby at home?” The answer is: quite a lot!
Before I dive into some ideas, let’s talk about the brain development that occurs during the first year of life, and just how impressive it is.
Between 0-12 months, the brain doubles in size.
During this time babies have physical developments such as rolling, crawling, walking, and grabbing, as well as visual developments where they start to see color and recognize people.
They also start to develop long term memory and learn emotions.
So to us, it may not look like a baby is doing a whole heck of a lot, but in actuality, they are doing an insane amount of learning.
So how can you help foster this learning at home? Here’s a list of some ideas to get you started:
Floor time - This one is SO important. Allowing your baby the freedom to learn about themselves and the space around them through floor time helps with muscle and brain development. You can place toys around them or just let them be. Fortunately babies don’t get bored like we do when just laying on the floor. ;)
Tummy time - Similar to floor time, tummy time is great because it helps your baby build the strength needed to roll, sit up, crawl, walk, and more. Placing toys in front of your baby while on tummy time can help keep them in this position for longer. And don’t forget - your face and voice can be a toy as well! So don’t be afraid to get down in front of your baby and practice tummy time yourself.
Talk to and engage with your baby - Your voice is so powerful for babies and toddlers. Talking with your baby promotes language and communication development, but also social and emotional development. This can be as simple as cooing back to your baby or giving them a tour of your house. They hear the inflection of your voice and learn from that.
Independent play - We often think that babies need to be held or engaged with 24/7, but really it’s okay for them to play on their own. In fact, letting baby play independently without interruption helps build their attention span and their ability to concentrate.
Mirrors - Playing with baby in front of a mirror can help identify familiar faces, track movements, and develop muscle as they maneuver about while watching their reflection. They can also learn more about emotions if you narrate about different faces you make in the mirror.
Nature walks - Walks outside are great for providing vitamin D and mood boosting benefits for you and your baby. They also help regulate your child’s sleep-wake cycle by establishing their circadian rhythms more quickly than if they were inside all day.
Plus, you get the added benefit of exercise!
Sensory play - Simulating all seven, yes seven, senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, vestibular, and proprioception) can be done in so many ways. Mobiles, songs, smelling, tasting, and feeling food, rattles, skin-to-skin, baths, baby massages, and playing with baby in different positions are just a few examples of sensory play.
Items that make sounds - I don’t mean the light up kind, rather things like crinkle paper and toys that squeak. I’m not a huge fan of battery powered toys in general, though I do own some myself. Always make sure to check the safety of these toys particularly for choking.
Read to baby - Reading to baby is so important because language is developing in a baby’s brain even before they can talk. Reading your own books to your newborn can be beneficial, and then progress to more baby friendly books once they become around 4 months of age. Books with colorful and contrasting images, rhyming books, opposite books, and touch and feel books are great options.
All these things are great ways to develop your child’s brain, but don’t forget the importance of routine, especially with feeding and sleeping.
This is true for ourselves, but especially for our kids.
I hope this information was helpful!
Feel free to reach out to me through my website (teachthemyoung23.com), Instagram (@teach_them_young23), or email (teachthemyoung23@gmail.com).
Happy day, y’all!
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