How Does My Baby Learn

Author: David Cummings

Parents know that babies learn very quickly in their first
months and years of life. What many people tend to forget is
that there are a myriad of ways to teach your child even when he
or she is nonverbal or even in utero! It is important to
remember how babies develop so you can provide education that is
well suited to your baby's age level and level of development.

A 2-month-old baby spends most of their time eating or sleeping,
and really won't have much interest in rudimentary arithmetic no
matter what the people trying to sell you the videos may say.
There are things that will engage your baby's interest and help
him develop his or her brain and senses, however.

Firstly, young babies love faces. Your mouth moves and makes
sounds, your eyes blink, your cheeks can puff out, your head can
nod, and shake, and your tongue can move in and out. For baby,
this is the best toy ever invented. For you, it is the most
affordable educational toy ever invented. The words you speak,
their inflection and intonation, all attract the baby's interest
as well. This is still the best education your baby can get in
spite of the fact your baby is still quite a long way away from.
Faces are fundamental to the human social world, and your baby
will spend the rest of his or her life trying to interpret
facial expressions. Forget all those dopey videos, the best
educational entertainment for your baby is to watch your face
and watch and hear you speak.

You can't spend every minute of every day talking to your baby
and making facial expressions at him or her. Most parents hang a
mobile over baby's crib. This kaleidoscope of shapes and colors
engages their attention and hones the connections between their
eyes and brain. It is possible for babies to get bored just like
everyone else. You will want to change the appearance of the
mobile, or maybe replace it with another mobile, at intervals.
The changes don't have to be massive. For example, of baby's
mobile has horses, you can tie bows around their neck one day
and bells the next.

When your baby can sit upright for long periods of time without
falling over, it's a great time to get a set of blocks. These
blocks have to be small enough that your baby can hold them but
big enough that they won't try to swallow them. A good game to
play with baby is "stack and tumble." You stack the blocks, and
your baby is charged with the task of knocking the blocks over.
How many blocks can be stacked before baby knocks them down.
This may seem rather pointless to you, but baby is learning
something absolutely fundamental: cause and effect. This simple
experiment says to baby: when I do something, it causes
something to happen.

Ultimately, baby education is simple. Elaborate 'educational'
videotapes are not needed; babies need to develop the basic
connection between their senses and their brains.

About the author:
David Cummings is a devoted parent and husband and a regular
author on many family topics. He is devoted to helping parents
build better family time together and to ensuring a brighter
future for all children through his contributions to
children-based organizations. David is also the General Manager
for Bustling Baby, LLC => http://www.BustlingBaby.com