Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Watch This!

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.

FOR INFANTS
Learning Objective – Developing positive emotional stimulation.Think of all the different places that are good for watching.
When babies can watch things move, they are happy.
A front-loading washing machine or dryer is fun for babies to watch.

Windows that are close to trees are wonderful watching places, or sit outside with your baby for an amazing amount of stimulation.
Watch birds fly from one place to another.

Watch cars moving down the street.

Watch the branches of a tree blow in the wind.

Take time to sit with your infant and watch together. Having you next to him will give him the comfort and security that he needs to enjoy the wonders of the world.

 Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence
– Talk about how nice it is to sit and watch things together. Use lots of loving conversation.

For developing the idea – Name specific things that you are watching. For example, a bird, a tree branch, or the sky.

For moving forward – Say the words that you have just named in a sing-song high pitched voice.

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Learning Objective – Recognizing Vocabulary 
The Pointing GameTell your baby that he is going to learn a poem about finding things in the room.

Show him how to point his index finger.

Ask questions like, “Do you know where the ceiling is?

Take his index finger, point it to the ceiling and say, “There is the ceiling.”

Do this with a few more objects like body parts, tables, and windows.

Now say the poem.

Point to the window
Point to the door
Point to the ceiling
Point to the floor
Point to a table
Point to a chair
Point to your nose
Point to your hair
Point to your head now
Point to your knee
Point to your elbow
Point to me!!
Depending on the age of your baby, say as many lines of the poem that you feel he can understand.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence
– Repeat the vocabulary words many times until your little one recognizes them.

For developing the idea –Take the words individually and use them in many sentences. Repeat the poem several times.

For moving forward – Make up stories using the same words in the story.

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