Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Babies are learning about the world as soon as they come out the womb, and in fact they're
learning about the world whilst they're in the womb. They're hearing sounds and
music and words, and that's their first introduction to language. Babies learn through
their senses. They need to see things, hear things, feel things, touch things, and as
they get older they learn by asking questions; what, how, when, where and why, and then they
need to try out new skills and practice them over and over again. The world is an amazing
place to the toddler.
I think it's really important to teach my child before he's started school, because
you know, he will start to learn his numbers, his colours, objects.
It's an important time and I encourage her by doing writing. She writes her name, get
her to write all the family's names, does her numbers.
She's got them all up on her wall.
Learning to crawl is a huge developmental milestone, and it offers them the opportunity
to search a little bit further out, and it improves their hand eye coordination and their
balance as well. If the baby is a little slow in learning to crawl, there are lots of things
you can do, for example just put one of their favourite toys just outside their reach so
it encourages them to crawl or move towards that object.
Young children who have been listened to themselves actually learn to listen to others, and that's
the way that they learn new words, phrases, what things mean, and so really spending time
with your child, hearing what they've got to say is just one of those precious things
that you can do as a parent. Even when your baby is just babbling or jabbering away, your
response can make such a difference and it's as though you begin that kind of conversation
taking that leads to real communication between your child and yourself. You can name objects
for them, point out things and just generally your kind of excitement and curiosity of the
world really can be infectious for your child.
The more you can introduce your baby and child to books and colourful pictures, and talk
about what's in that book, the quicker they understand that pictures have meaning and
that then words have meaning themselves as well, so share lots of different books.
Share your excitement with your child.
Oh I love reading to my children at night. I just like to catch up and have a bit of
time together, because we're busy working and stuff.
Creativity and imagination are hugely important to the young child. Those first squiggles
on a piece of paper, their first attempts to stick things together or to role play or
to imagine they're someone else or that they are something else is the way that we
kind of nurture our imagination, so take their pieces of paper or whatever they've drawn
or painted on, and put it up somewhere prominent, and that kind of says to your child
"do you know what, I really value what you're doing".
Play is the way that the young child learns about the world, and in fact it's their
work and they work really hard at it as well. They learn by problem solving, purposeful
action, they learn about cause and effect, they try and try again so they're learning
from trial and error. One way that really parents can interact with that child's work
is to have kind of a sensitive play role within their play, so that they don't take over
the play but they're there providing the materials, which need not be really expensive,
and we all know that the box is as important as whatever happens to be inside, so materials
that lend themselves to being something else is really exciting for the child. Your child's
on an amazing learning journey, and they need adults who are going to enjoy the journey
with them, so spend time with them and see the world through their eyes
as if for the first time.