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| Quick reference medical handouts used
by Pediatric offices |
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Learningames
 It has been said that a baby's nervous system is a "work in progress."
The brain is remarkably unfinished at birth and actually does most of its
maturing outside the womb. A child is born with more than 100 billion brain
cells. Before the age of 5, long, thin fibers called synapses grow and connect
the brain cells, forming the neurological foundation of trillions of connections
upon which a child builds a lifetime of skills. The final number of synapses
is largely determined by a child's earliest experiences. When the neurons
are stimulated, they become woven into the circuitry of the brain by connecting
to other neurons. If they are not used, they may die.
When a parent gently touches their child's hand and she grasps your
finger, nerve fibers from the baby's palm transmit impulses to the brain's
sensory-motor center and a connection is established. When a newborn cries
and a parent holds him in their arms and talk to him, nerves in the ears
sent signals to the brain and a circuit is programed with the hearing center.
When you pick the baby up and they see your face, nerve signals from the
eye link with ones in the brain's visual center.
Brain growth early during a child's first three to four years is
unparalleled. At no other time in life does the brain master so many skills.
The experiences of early childhood help form the brain's circuits -- for
music and math, language and emotion, and how the child will think, feel
and behave for the rest of their lives. The computer has been built, the
software needs to be loaded.
This research tells us that parents have a unique "window of opportunity"
during the first 3 to 4 years of life to "jump start" their child's brain
power. In doing so, they will help develop valuable life skills and get their
son or daughter started on a journey of lifetime learning. Setting aside
time each day to playfully interact with an infant will not only boost
brainpower, but it will also provide invaluable bonding time between parent
and child.
 A new parent reading this article might stop at this point and say,
"we have enough to do just taking care of the baby and ourselves." There
is little time left to design games of learning for our newborn, let alone
the expense of purchasing "educational" toys. Well, two researchers at the
University of North Carolina , Drs. Joseph Sparling and Isabelle Lewis, have
developed a program called "Learningames- The Abecedarian Curriculum" which is simple and fun. These games should be "repeated and repeated and repeated,"
according to authors. They also emphasized the importance of talking to your
child: "Your baby needs to hear 30 million words by 3 years of age to be
ready for maximum learning in school." To accomplish that, parents and caretakers
need to have conversations with their babies through the day every day. Here
are some of the Learninggames - Birth to 12 months, reproduced with the
permission of the authors.
Area of the brain
stimulated |
What you can do......... |
Vision |
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Hold your baby high on your shoulder so he can look around.
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Give him something interesting to see when you place him in his crib
or on the ground. This gives him the incentive and opportunity to explore
with his eyes.
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Attach a stick to the crib and hang a colorful toy or mobile from
it. Move it slightly while the baby is watching to get her attention. Change
the hanging items every few days. This will help the baby notice differences.
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Tie a scarf or necktie around your neck and lean over your baby so
he can see your face and reach for the material in front of him. This will
encourage his hand-eye coordination.
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Emotional / Social |
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Hold your child often and talk to her in a soothing way.
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Avoid becoming consistently angry or frustrated with your child. One
outburst will not harm a child, but repeated experiences wire the brain's
emotional circuits, so watch how you handle the stressful moments of parenting.
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Hold your child when you introduce her to strangers, but encourage
her to reach out and interact with them so she begins to feel comfortable
with meeting new people.
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If you are holding something interesting -say keys or a shiny trinket
-share it with your child so he understands that interesting items are meant
to be shared. This will help him prepare for the time when he is expected
to share his own things.
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Play with your child in front of a mirror. This will not only give
her a better grasp of who she is, but encourages positive emotional development
about the person she sees in the mirror.
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| Speech / Vocabulary |
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Speak to your child in full sentences.
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Talk and read to them often, it doesn't matter that they don't yet
understand the meaning of the words. Your child is deciphering the components
of speech. So explain how you're making dinner, why you're doing the laundry,
and what you see as you drive down the street.
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Read to your child often. Between the ages of six months and a year,
create games where you repeat a certain sound over and over such as la-la-la.
Encourage your child to repeat the sounds.
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As your child gets older, explain the specific words for his actions
- tumble, skip, gallop.
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Play games in which he follows directions based on the new words.
As he becomes familiar with the words, let him lead the game by offering
the directions.
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Motor Skills |
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Before a child is mobile, tie a scarf or necktie around your neck
and lean over your baby so he can see your face and reach for the material
in front of him. This will encourage his hand-eye coordination. Dangling
any interesting item within reach of your child encourages the same
skill.
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Have your child sit tall and place items within her reach that encourages
her to reach up and grab them.
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Put a pillow or something soft behind her for when she tumbles backward.
This encourages her sitting skills at an early age.
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Once your child has learned to walk, look for opportunities to have
him "jump" over stationary objects such as a toy or a rope. As his balance
improves, have him walk up a short board that is a few inches higher at one
end and let him jump from the end.
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Be aware of the skills your child is developing and encourage games
that clearly strengthen skills such as building towers with blocks to improve
hand-eye coordination or scribbling on paper or cutting to develop fine motor
skills.
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We highly recommend that parents check out the latest edition of
Learningames 0-12 months, by Joseph Sparling and Isabel Lewis. J. Sparling and I. Lewis. (2000). Learningames, the Abecedarian curriculum Tallahassee, FL: Early Learning Press, Inc. The toll free number for ordering Learningames is 866-466-1400.
For more information about the Abecedarian curriculum,Click here
As a reminder, this information should not be relied on as
medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice of your child’s pediatrician.
Please read our full disclaimer.
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