From nuzzling baby talk to taking play seriously – practical, easy, and science-backed tips for every parent.
Photo by Fernando Gomez Cortes
Parenting is considered one of the most challenging jobs in the world, but there needs to be formal education available on how to parent successfully. The good news is there are various ways parents can spark their babies’ brains and use day-to-day events as exceptional learning opportunities.
Below are five (5) easy, practical and science-backed tips to help set your baby up for future success.
1. Encourage baby talk and treat it as a real conversation. The gestures and sounds that babies make might not always seem like much, but it is their only way of communication. Early childhood development scientists say parents should stimulate baby talk and treat it as a real conversation. Parents should respond to their baby’s cues, actions, and sounds and engage with them throughout the day. The amount of words a baby is exposed to will also determine the number of words in a child’s vocabulary at age two and a kid’s reading levels in the long run. Encourage baby jabber and take it seriously.
2. Read to your baby to wield language. Babies might not be reading or talking, but they are born ready to learn. Even at three months of age, they can distinguish each sound used in every language worldwide. You are building language skills when you read out loud to your baby. Make sure to point to the images in the book and ask questions about the characters and story. Simple questions like “what are they doing?” and “how many are there?” will engage your kid’s language skills. Reading to babies exposes them to new words and creates a love for reading and books. Remember, leaders are readers, so why not begin early? Dr. Carolyn Nooks Teague’s Three Dimensions of Learning encourages parents to develop resilience in their children to help prepare them for life outside the home. Do you know how to build strength in your child? Have you taught them how to deal with bullying? Parents are reminded of developmental milestones and how to use them. Home tests and activities are provided to help parents support normal development and recognize the symptoms of possible developmental delays or conditions. Take advantage of this opportunity to bolster your understanding of how the mind works and become a better parent, educator, and administrator. Go ahead and grab a copy of the book!
3. Take play seriously. Young children are learning all the time. When they play, they build essential life skills. Make-believe play allows them to experience what it is like to be someone else and understand others’ feelings. They learn to compromise and take turns when they play with others. Engaging in free imaginative play, like pretending a toy car can travel through space, sparks language and creativity as they learn to express their ideas verbally. When they imagine new worlds, young children learn to solve problems and create new possibilities. What seems like fun is vital to work. Take play seriously, as play is serious learning. Steer clear on your device in front of your kid too often. Research shows that it makes children feel less important.
4. Use daily experiences as learning opportunities. Each life experience is all about learning for babies. These activities are great learning moments, whether bath time, sorting laundry, cooking, or running errands. Tell what you are doing to stimulate language. Sort and count laundry to teach math and play with food textures and ingredients to promote scientific thinking. Making faces that show various emotions is a great way to teach emotional intelligence.
5. Lead by example. Babies are indeed genius impersonators. They pick up on all they see you do. They become experts at non-verbal attitudes and reading faces until they talk and learn to mimic them. Babies will adopt these attitudes and actions by watching their body language and how they treat others or react to a challenge. The way you act around your baby molds the kind of person they will become.
In Conclusion
Include these five critical behaviors in your day, and you will dramatically improve your baby’s chances of thriving. Giving your kid the best tools for future success has nothing to do with extravagant learning resources or money. It all depends on you, your level of engagement, and your time.
