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first stages of learning
During the first month of life, your baby will primarily learn by interacting with
you. They don't need anything complicated from you, just lots of love and attention.
One of the first things your baby will learn is to associate the feel of your touch,
the sound of your voice, and the sight of your face with getting his or her needs for
comfort and food met.
The most important thing you can do to help your baby learn is make lots of eye contact
and talk to them. Even tiny babies can pick up the tone of your voice, and store information
about speech patterns to use later as they learn to speak. Before long, your baby will answer
you with gurgles.
Your baby will also love listening to any songs you can sing - in or out of tune! As well as
the stimulation of hearing you talk, your baby absorbs the fact that you have time for them
and enjoy their company, which is great for developing confidence.
There are many simple ways that you can encourage your newborn to learn and play. Put on some
soothing music, hold your baby and gently sway and move to the tune. Choose a calming song or
lullaby and softly sing it to your infant on a regular basis. The familiarity of the sound and
words will have a calming effect.
Babies love facial movement. Smile, stick out your tongue, and make other expressions for your
infant to study, learn and imitate.
Peek-a-boo is a tried and tested success when it comes to entertaining your baby. Or why not play
'this little piggy went to market' using your little tot's toes. As your baby develops, you are sure
to get plenty of gurgles from this age-old game.
In the first few weeks you may want to introduce some simple toys. Check the age range on the
packaging of any toys you buy for your baby. It's important to choose things that are right for your
baby's developmental stage, for safety reasons and because your baby will get more out of a toy that
they're physically ready to play with. Choose toys that appeal to the sense of sight, hearing and
touch, such as rattles, textured toys, musical toys and unbreakable mirrors. It's a good idea to
choose toys and mobiles with distinct colours and patterns. In order to encourage an infant's
developing vision, toys for newborns are designed with strong contrasts such as red, white, and
black, as well as curves and symmetry. As your baby's vision improves and he or she gains more
control over his or her movements, your baby will interact more and more with the environment.
As your baby approaches three months, it's important to introduce dangling toys such as mobiles that
encourage baby to reach out and look up. These will develop gross motor skills, as well as setting
the initial stages of hand-eye coordination in motion. Between three to six months, your baby will be
developing upper body strength and hand/arm coordination. Toys for this age group encourage babies
to kick and grasp objects and bring them to their mouth for further investigation.
getting past six months
Look at plenty of books. Even very young babies enjoy the experience of sitting with you and looking
at bright pictures of everyday things, such as animals or toys. Board or cloth books are best as
they're designed to be chewed and touched.
Try to go out every day, to the shops, the park, your local parent and baby group, to visit friends
or just for a walk. The change of scene is stimulating for you and your baby. As your baby gets
older they will want to experience the wider world, which is a perfect cue for some fun family days
out. A visit to the zoo will stimulate your child to explore the wider world and
maybe even meet some animals they've seen in picture books.
toddler
At 12 months, your baby is likely to start using hand gestures and pointing. Gradually, your child's
vocabulary will grow from one or two words to 50 words or more. By the second birthday, you'll
probably lose count of the number of words your toddler can say!
While learning to walk during the second year of life, kids will also start becoming increasingly
independent. But expect your child to fluctuate between wanting freedom and clinging to you for
comfort and reassurance. So allow them to explore but be there when you're needed.
Hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity will also improve during this time. Your child will have
better control over fingers and hands and can explore toys and surroundings more than before. Look
for toys that encourage this. At this age, puzzles are an
important means of learning as they test
your baby's recognition, co-ordination and memory skills. Wall hangings that have numbers on them
are a great learning tool. Introducing letters early into their world will help when it comes to
learning to read.
Museums are also a great learning experience. Many, such as The Science Museum, actively encourage
young families and have excellent facilities for babies. Eureka is a museum especially for children with over 400 hands-on exhibits that will stimulate
children of any age.
Take a trip to the park or relax in the garden and enjoy a picnic. Your child will enjoy the freedom
of the outdoors and will benefit from touching the different textures of their new and exciting
environment. They will be transfixed if they are lucky enough to see any birds or insects such as
ladybirds. Your tot will also relish playing with toys in a new environment, so
bringing a baby-gym or play mat
outdoors will add a new element to your child's enjoyment. You can even try to get baby to practice
throwing a ball!
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