features
When you give your child face-to-face time , lovingly respond to your baby ’ s cues and sing songs , you ’ re actually helping to grow his brain
singer . Remember babies already love the sound of your voice . Songs mimic and exaggerate patterns of speech so it helps early language development as well as early social-emotional development .
2 . Engage in tennis
Well , engage in the back and forth action that happens in tennis . Perhaps your child makes a noise . Think of this as them " serving a ball " to you . Wait and then it ’ s your turn to return the “ ball ”. Perhaps mimic the noise or tell them , “ that was a loud noise !”
3 . Take half a step back
Allow them a little bit of struggling in a safe environment . A little bit of stress is actually good for brain development . Allow your baby small challenges in everyday life and stop yourself from stepping in too early . “ Wait , watch and wonder ” before rescuing their attempts at overcoming a new challenge . Mastering new challenges ( E . g ., grasping an object , sitting up , pressing a button ) builds self-confidence and motivation . Think of yourself as a coach supporting them through their stress .
4 . Get chatty
Research shows that babies who are regularly talked to and read to by their parents develop better language skills later in life . Language is the basis to most cognitive development , so it ’ s not silly to talk to a baby – or a mature bump for that matter .
5 . Loving touch
One of the first ways we feel love is through touch . Try some baby massage strokes to see what your baby likes . A simple stroke to start out with is " the velvet cloak ". First tell your baby what you ' re going to do and leave a little pause . Then gently rest your warm palms on baby ' s chest and slowly move down his or her body like your hands are a heavy blanket .
6 . Sing like a bird
Or not . You don ' t have to be a good
All these activities help build positive neural pathways or connections in your child ’ s brain . Positive connections that carry messages such as “ You are loved ”, “ You are safe ”, “ I ’ ll be here for you ”, “ You can do new things ”, “ You are understood ”, “ You are important “, “ You deserve to be respected and listened to ”, “ You are an important part of this family ” and so much more !
Remember the more these experiences are repeated , the stronger the neural pathways in the brain . Licensed baby-bonding classes are a great way to practice these skills to boost your child ' s brain development , at the same time strengthening your bond with your baby , setting you both up for the best possible .
Rachel Winston is a registered play therapist , licensed baby-bonding practitioner and the founder of Full Cup Play Therapy . www . fullcupplaytherapy . com
38 www . playtimes . com . hk