During the first few years of your little one’s life, everything is new, and everything is a learning experience. Your baby absorbs new information 24/7. Sounds daunting right?? I know, but don’t fret, there are many ways in you can support your baby, and help them learn about the world around them.
Interactions are Key
The single most important way for your baby to learn is through social interaction. The interactions that your baby will have with you and other individuals in their lives will influence how they develop and learn.
Babies younger than six months depend mainly on you and their caregivers for their daily experiences. So the best way to help you baby grow into a curious, confident, and able learner is to give them warm, and consistent care.
The more you engage with your little one by, singing, talking, playing, and just simply displaying your love for them by meeting their needs, the more they learn about their world and everything in it.
Your baby is also watching everything you do, and their brain is processing each move. Lots of time spent playing and interacting with you and others will help your baby learn the skills they need for life – like communicating, thinking, problem-solving, moving and being with other people.
Ultimately, your love will give your baby the physical strength to fight off illnesses, the emotional strength to feel confident, and the ability to learn new things.
Language is Music
Early language development and communication skills are crucial for children’s success in school and beyond. We can give our babies a head start simply by talking and singing with them.
Language in itself is musical. For your baby, talking can sound rhythmic because it is repetitive. In fact, your baby’s brain is prewired to hear and learn music just as much as it is prewired for language. Some expects have suggested singing to your little one, patting their back, or rocking to music, can help strengthen the musical pathways in their brain.
Music activities with babies offer them many opportunities to:
- Learn and practice self-regulation – did you know that the experience of being soothed also helps babies learn to soothe themselves?
- Understand emotions – singing about emotions and feelings will help your baby make connections between the words and the actual emotion. Don’t forget to change your facial expression and be animated as you sing!
- Experience self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy – Your baby will develop a sense that they are smart and competent when they can make an impact on their world. When they realize they too can add to the song by playing an instrument or babbling along.
- Thinking and cognitive skills – Music is one of the best ways to practice patterns, math concepts, and symbolic thinking skills, in the context of a joyful noise that is attractive, and engaging for us all!
The benefits of language and music are endless for your baby’s brain and language development. So make sure to be mindful to talk and sing with your little one every chance you get.
Predictions Make Babies Feel Safe
Babies feel safe and secure when they can predict what will happen in they environment. A study of 5 to 7 month-old infants found that the part of the brain that responds to visual stimuli also responds to just the expectation of seeing something. Essentially, your baby’s brain is stimulated by expectation. If they know what to expect, their brain has the opportunity to make new connections within the environment. Hence why routine is so important.
When your baby knows what’s coming next they feel safe, secure, smart, and competent.
Nap Time is Crucial
Many of us already know the importance of sleep for adults, and how it consolidates memories allowing us to learn new things. So as you may have guessed, sleeping is even more crucial for your baby’s developing brain and physical development.
While your baby sleeps, specifically during the Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) stage, blood supply to the muscles is increased, energy is restored, tissue growth and repair occur, and important hormones are released for growth and development.
Truth be told, sleep is crucial for both you and your baby! Not only will you be able to better respond to your baby’s needs when you’re well rested, but your baby will also be able to receive your love and care.
Laughing leads to Learning!
Laughter produces dopamine, also known as the ‘reward hormone’. Dopamine, and therefore laughing, is responsible for regulating mood, motivation, learning and attention!
The release of dopamine in the brain, also activates the ‘reward circuit’, which makes your baby feel good, positive, and also motivated to move forward. They feel safe and happy to actively engage in their environment. This includes:
- Observing you and others, watching faces, and responding to voices
- Listening to sounds, making sounds and singing
- Engaging in things that stimulate all of their senses – touch, taste, smell, vision and hearing.
So while interacting and singing with your baby, always make sure to get your baby giggling and laughing because laughing leads to learning!
