It doesn’t cost a lot of money for parents to support their child’s brain growth. You may enhance your child’s brain growth without taking a formal class or spending any money. There are easy ways to interact with a child and support their development for parents who are unable or unable to take part in their neighborhood mommy-and-me courses. Here are seven simple things parents may do with their infant if they’re searching for some new activities to try.
Extend your tongue.
Sticking your tongue out is a simple exercise that can be incorporated into most routines, according to Elizabeth Criswell, an early childhood curriculum developer at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. During diaper changes or playtime, you can demonstrate putting your tongue out at various angles. Give your infant enough room and time to imitate you.
The gesture is an effective approach to teach toddlers who are close to three months old to exercise tongue control, which can aid in the development of eating and speaking. Additionally, it helps parents to start a conversation with their infants.
Get on your stomach.
Tummy time is beneficial for infants up to 6 months old because it allows them to engage and develop their physical ability and coordination. Lie facing the infant or close to them. According to Rebecca Parlakian, senior director of programs at Zero to Three, share tales, let the baby see in the mirror, or bring in toys for them to play with. The company creates resources for early childhood development and promotes early learning.
Spark the senses
Gather a variety of fabric pieces, and as you watch, let the baby examine them. At least six inches by six inches should be present on the scraps. Children learn by their senses, therefore describe the textiles to them. Their early exposure to rich descriptive language also aids in their eventual development of a robust vocabulary, according to Parlakian.
Go large or small.
Children between the ages of 2 and 3 will enjoy grouping various household things into groups of “large” and “small” items. According to Parlakian, the game encourages early math skills, such as the beginning stages of learning measurement, while teaching kids the words and concepts for big and small. It also helps kids think about size.
Take note.
Every day, babies create millions of brain connections that they will utilize throughout their lives to process information. Music helps activate these connections. According to Brenda Berdugo Limaldi, a Music Together instructor from New Jersey, the pathways support a child’s language, mental, social, and emotional development. She recommends parents to introduce their child to a variety of musical genres with various tones and meters.
Together, sing.
Hold the infant close when singing and be sure to make loud mouth motions, especially while singing songs without words. Additionally, imitate the baby’s answers to affirm them, since this will foster more natural voice and movement patterns, which is how your baby learns. Make sure to combine both high and low notes while singing and playing both rapid and slow songs. According to Berdugo Limaldi, you can also rock and bounce to the beat of a music.
Peek-a-boo game
The ability to know an object exists even when they can’t see it is a skill that this game helps infants learn. Parlakian and Berdugo Limaldi both suggested it. Although newborns can enjoy it at an earlier age as well, a recommended time to start is when the baby is around 9 months old.
The influence of play
It appears that the secret to encouraging healthy brain development is to interact with babies. Building a solid bond with their parents is the first and most crucial responsibility that children must learn to accomplish in their early years, according to Parlakian. “It’s this strong, safe tie that children take with them as a model of relationships throughout their lives, and it helps them develop good love relationships much later on, as well as friendships, cooperation, and teamwork.”
While all of these activities are free and simple to incorporate into your daily routine, parent-child play has enormous significance. These chances provide youngsters with the chance to improve the vital mental, communicative, and social-emotional abilities they need to succeed in school and in life, she continued.
Source: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/5-free-ways-to-improve-your-childs-brain
