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Having a baby is a learning process – for you and for your baby. Even though you’ve watched your baby’s development on ultrasounds and have felt him grow inside of you, you still don’t know your baby until he arrives. That’s when you realize that babies are naturally inquisitive. Almost from the moment of birth, they’re learning, developing, and trying new things. Like little sponges, they soak up everything in their environment, and are natural learners. As a parent, you are your baby’s first teacher; your home, his first classroom. When should education at home begin? How does a parent get started?
Since babies learn from their interactions with others, interactions with their surroundings, and through communication, you can start the process of educating your baby from infancy. As a parent, you’re uniquely qualified to provide your baby stimulation for all avenues of learning. Even though we often think of preschool or another formal, outside of the home environment as the beginning of learning, education can begin easily at home.
Make Education Part of your Daily Routine
Education at home doesn’t have to be formal or structured. Simply providing your baby something interesting to look at is a sound start. Babies love looking at faces – yours or in photographs. Black and white contrasting graphics also captivate baby’s attention, and stimulate visual development.
Auditory development starts early, too. Listening to any sort of music or singing lullabies to your baby will stimulate his ear for language. It is easy to work in listening time by keeping children’s CDs in your car or at home.
Simply talking to your baby readies him for language. Simple monologues such as, “Now we’re changing your diaper and getting you ready for the day,” as you tend to your baby’s routine needs will acclimate him to language and stimulate his awareness of tone of voice and inflection.
Reading is, of course, essential to your baby and child’s learning. Even though your baby may not be able to appreciate Goodnight Moon from infancy, there is no reason not to start reading to him right away. Your baby will love to hear the sound of your voice, and sooner than you think will be able to follow along as you point out what’s in the pictures of your favorite books. Babies thrive on routine and repetition, so try choosing a few favorites to read to him right away – or even before he’s born.
Naming your baby’s body parts as you bathe or change him will establish your baby’s awareness of self and build is vocabulary. He’s not going to know what, “This is your knee, and here are your feet” means at six weeks, of course, but again, if you get into a routine of simply naming objects in your baby’s environment, you’ll help build his listening and communicating skills from infancy.
Counting games are also easy to work into your daily routine. If you get in the habit of counting aloud familiar objects (even your baby’s fingers and toes!), you will establish a good foundation for learning about numbers right away. Point out patterns, too, like alternating colors in your baby’s toys and furnishings. Recognizing patterns is a first step toward literacy, so start now!
It is never too early to start education at home. Simple, everyday routines of talking, listening, looking, and reading will establish early not just a foundation for future learning but, perhaps more importantly, send your baby the message that learning is an enjoyable process. Provide a stimulation-rich environment and a fun attitude toward learning, and your baby will be well situated to grow into a lifelong learner.
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