Ways to Stimulate Your Child's Brain Development
Did you know that children can hear and experience the world even before they are born? And that the first two years are especially important for brain development? With new research into neuroscience, you can take advantage of recently-discovered knowledge that will help your child develop her or his full potential and give your child a head start in the world.
- Give your child as much stimulation as you can, early on. If you've seen those mothers-to-be with headphones on their tummies playing Mozart to their unborn children, they have exactly the right idea. Recent research has shown that even before children develop ears or hearing, that classical music can enhance growth and development. But, in addition to playing Mozart, reading books to your unborn child, or talking to her or him, will help your infant's growth and development. Prenatal massage is also a great way to help your unborn child establish contact with the outside world. Children in the womb experience the benefits of prenatal massage very early on in their development.
- Once your child is born, continue to give her or him as much stimulation as they are able to absorb. Frequent stroking and cuddling, exposure to sights, smells, sounds, and textures, will help your child's brain to expand in order to deal with new information. Hold your infant facing outwards, rather than in towards you, so that your child can see what is going on in the world. Rather than talking "baby talk" to your infant, talk in adult words, and if you are bilingual, talk in different languages. The more information your child is exposed to, the more her or his brain will develop in order to process the information.
- Model the behaviour you wish your child to imitate. Speak politely and calmly, show an interest in the outside world and in other people. Talk to your child in an encouraging, somewhat high-pitched "play" voice and point out interesting things. Even before your child starts on regular food, you can introduce her or him to different tastes and smells.
- As your child matures, encourage her or him to be brave and explore the world around her or him. Experiment with your child, making and building different objects. Include your child, as much as possible, in all your daily activities, and do not talk down to your child.
- Read out loud to your child as much as possible: not only from children's books, but from more adult subjects, such as history or science, as well. The faster you can expose your child to adult language and subjects, the more her or his brain will develop.
- Encourage your child to interact with other children and adults as much as possible. By exposing your child to many different people, your child will develop social skills that will enable her or him to cope with the world in a much easier manner.
- Limit your child's exposure to television and video games. If you need to temporarily distract your child with television, instead of cartoons, try educational programs. I've had five-year-old children successfully learn about all kinds of historical or scientific subjects from programs aimed at college students, even if they did not understand every word or concept.
By incorporating all these strategies into your child's early life, you will be giving her or him the necessary skills and brain development to deal with the situations your child will encounter later: in school, at work, and in the world at large. And we all want our children to be as successful as possible!
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Comments
I did the above with my kids, and now my daughter is doing so with her daughter. Great suggestions.
Wonderful article. Stimulation plays an important role in a child's development.
I never did the pre-birth music ideas prior to my children, but you made me think i might next time round. Sometimes we don't realise it is the simple things that make a big difference when it coms to the development :) Thank you.
I must try reading more advanced things to my daughter. Good article!
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