I have been ridiculed for uttering ABC's, 123's, shapes and colors to my baby. But that hasn't stopped me.
I rather felt that those who are uttering "la lal la", "ba ba ba" and switch on TV for engaging their babies are wasting those crucial months and years.
I rather felt that those who are uttering "la lal la", "ba ba ba" and switch on TV for engaging their babies are wasting those crucial months and years.
Brain begins to develop as soon as the baby is born and it is like a sponge or box. An empty one. It is upto us, what we want to fill in and make the baby experience and learn.
Without getting into the specifics of what exactly my baby is grasping and what is age-appropriate, I started narrating alphabets, numbers and other things to her as early as 3 months of age.
Not necessarily I would make her sit and see books, but just moments like patting her to sleep, walking in parks, feeding her, would be our learning sessions.
Not necessarily I would make her sit and see books, but just moments like patting her to sleep, walking in parks, feeding her, would be our learning sessions.
I and my husband made some placards at home that depicted numbers and dots. This was inspired from the works of Glenn Doman.
In my quest to gather knowledge about cognitive skills in babies, I read books on it. My favorites has been How to Teach Your baby To Read and How to Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence.
In my quest to gather knowledge about cognitive skills in babies, I read books on it. My favorites has been How to Teach Your baby To Read and How to Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence.
According to Doman's philosophy, children love to learn and know new things. And, in simply ways we can teach them a lot.
Maths is one such easy skill that can be taught to develop "thinking" in your baby by using symbols. At 5 months, my baby was getting a regular dose of these placards flashed before her.
And, in just a few days, she began to recognize them and the sounds of 123's. Every time I showed the placards, she would be very excited and gaze at the red dots.
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When she was 8 Months, I bought her building blocks. She did not know what to do with them or how to insert the blocks into their correct holes.
Nevertheless, she loved throwing them, and sometimes put them on top of the other. The product itself is very good, the blocks are in bright colors so baby gets attracted to them. Blocks are quite big, so there is no chance of baby swallowing and choking. The edges of all the items in the play kit are round and smooth.
If you think preparing handmade is a pain, then there are readymade flashcards available.
Nevertheless, she loved throwing them, and sometimes put them on top of the other. The product itself is very good, the blocks are in bright colors so baby gets attracted to them. Blocks are quite big, so there is no chance of baby swallowing and choking. The edges of all the items in the play kit are round and smooth.
What's beautiful is the different ways in which they can be used for learning, such as, memory games and co-relations.
In terms of safety, the fear of paper cuts are very minimum because the letters and alphabets are printed on thick cardboard pieces with smooth rounded edges.
ABC's can be learned from YouTube as well, but I do want to spend money and buy books that she can hold and feel and then learn ABC's.
Parents and guardians have a crucial role to play in gifting their kids the right games and toys that spark curiosity.
Learning is a gradual process and when to start is completely dependent upon parents and guardian's decision. In India, pre-school starts at the age of 2.5 years. Some unwilling families begin pre-school and school much later, thinking that it will put pressure on kid's minds and they are not ready for hard mental work.
I do not support this thinking.
We cannot assess the development of the brain just as we can see the development of bones and muscles through height and weight gain.
But brain is definitely grasping and creating memories. Or how else would you explain, a baby looking up and smiling at the sound of a lullaby that he/she has repeatedly heard? This act shows that the baby is recalling something familiar and neuron connections are making her laugh or afraid. For example, my baby has always cried at the loud sound of a mixer-grinder. And, now even if I do not start the machine, the sight of that white mixer jar, makes her afraid and cry.
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I do not support this thinking.
We cannot assess the development of the brain just as we can see the development of bones and muscles through height and weight gain.
But brain is definitely grasping and creating memories. Or how else would you explain, a baby looking up and smiling at the sound of a lullaby that he/she has repeatedly heard? This act shows that the baby is recalling something familiar and neuron connections are making her laugh or afraid. For example, my baby has always cried at the loud sound of a mixer-grinder. And, now even if I do not start the machine, the sight of that white mixer jar, makes her afraid and cry.
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