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50 Simple Ways to Make Your Baby Smarter
Infant-development experts believe that the first years of a child's life are a prime time for learning, but sometimes it may be hard to think of new ways to stimulate your baby. Let these fun -- and scientific -- activities will inspire you.
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1. Make eye contact. Take advantage of those brief moments when your newborn's eyes are open, and look right into them. Infants recognize faces early on -- and yours is the most important! Each time he stares at you, he's building his memory.
2. Stick out your tongue. Studies show that newborns as young as 2 days old can imitate simple facial movements -- it's a sign of very early problem solving.
3. Let him reflect. Have your baby stare at himself in the mirror. At first, he may think he's just eyeing another cute kid, but he'll love making the "other" baby wave his arms and smile.
4. Make a difference. Hold up two pictures about 8 to 12 inches away from your baby's face. They should be similar but have one small difference (perhaps a tree is in one but not the other). Even a young infant will look back and forth and figure out the distinguishing features, which sets the stage for letter recognition and reading later on.
Topics in Baby Development
Comments Comments ( 4 ) Add your comment
*spelling error in message...."life" not "like"...oops, sorry folks, my typing fingers were too quick. ;)
10/28/2009 12:43:08 PM Report AbuseIt's great to treat your child like an adult when it comes to language and learning! However, they still need to enjoy the whole experience of being a "child" and just having silly fun with you...even if it means you "cooing", dancing silly, repeating back the baby talk....like is too short to be so serious and they grow in a flash before your eyes! Enjoy the ride! :)
10/28/2009 12:40:14 PM Report AbuseI have always treated my baby as an adult, spoke to them in adult language, even had them help cook at a very young age. My daughter now, who is 18 months, can clean with wipes, put on her shoes, eats by herself (since she was 12 months old), knows how to use the remote control, computer, etc....the list goes on and on - all because I treat her like an adult. I have never discouraged her from doing anything, she is even doing summersaults.
10/21/2009 10:37:52 PM Report AbuseI like to find different things for my baby to stack whether it be formula, empty yogurt cartons, plastic bowls, and I also do one set at a time then add something different to see what he does, my son of ten months sets it aside knowing that it is different or doesn't stack it. This is a great way to point out different objects.
10/9/2009 12:16:27 PM Report Abuse