| With you or without you, your baby will be learning | | | | needs to be done in a natural and relaxed way. |
| from the moment she is born and starts to take in her | | | | Saffron is now 20 months, and for many months now |
| new surroundings. Every sight and sound will be a part | | | | she has been the one to decide what she wants to |
| of her learning process; she will observe everything | | | | do at bedtime: a story, nursery rhymes, her new |
| you do and listen to every word you say. And as the | | | | teaching cards. Respect her choice, and you help her |
| months pass, she will eventually start to copy. | | | | mature as a child; but let it be known it is her bed time. |
| Fully conscious teaching, with books and other articles | | | | If her demand is to get up and play again, then you |
| of learning, will come much later on; but of course, it is | | | | need to be firm, or you will stack up problems for later. |
| entirely up to you.With our baby daughter, Saffron, I | | | | You should be the boss, but she should be able to |
| started reading her a bed time story at about six | | | | make a reasonable choice.Sometimes she will surprise |
| months old. She could not understand fully, but it gave | | | | you. Saffron got bored with the bed time stories |
| her exposure to books, and the comfort of a bed time | | | | recently, and all she wanted for a few nights was |
| routine, with my voice and sounds, and the pictures in | | | | something to hold. For a few bed times, she wanted a |
| the book. It did not matter that every evening it was | | | | book to hold as she lay down, despite the fact there |
| Goldilocks and the Three Bears, or one of the other | | | | was no chance of reading it once the light was out. |
| old favourites in the book. Here in the Philippines there | | | | Then it was one of her dolls, and next back to stories |
| are not many books of children's stories in the | | | | and nursery rhymes again.All learning should be |
| stores.Repetition does not matter, in fact it is part of | | | | pressure free, and fun for the baby. If she wants to |
| the comfort for the baby. That routine helped to | | | | learn alone, let her. If she wants your help, help her. |
| ensure that she slept contented every night, and has | | | | Teaching your baby can be a wonderfully rewarding |
| only woken once since. That was recently when she | | | | experience. You will probably find she will, in a way, |
| seems to have had a bad dream. A quick cuddle, and | | | | teach you what she wants to learn about. If you |
| she was back to sleep again.One thing to always bear | | | | stimulate her mind, and she is observant, she will be |
| in mind is that your baby, whatever age, will know and | | | | pointing out things from a very young age. It is |
| understand far more than you think. All the while, when | | | | important for you to participate with her. If she points |
| she is not talking, she will be picking up words and their | | | | at the moon and gets excited, explain to her what it is; |
| meanings. Those words will eventually come out | | | | if she points to a bird, do the same.Babies learn an |
| verbally, even if they don't sound quite right to begin | | | | enormous amount in a short time. By conversing with |
| with.Personally, I think it is important to speak to a baby | | | | them in a normal way, they will understand simple |
| in a normal, adult like way and never limit your speech | | | | instructions before you know it. But they do make |
| to what you think she knows. A bright child especially | | | | simple associations and follow those instructions literally. |
| will take in just about everything you say when they | | | | At about 15 months, Saffron often left a bit of her |
| are past 6 months, and remember it longer than you | | | | food at meal times and I would finish it for her. After |
| would expect. One day they will surprise you, and | | | | this went on a few weeks, I remarked that I was her |
| follow your instruction over something you had no idea | | | | garbage bin. A few weeks more passed, and she had |
| they could understand.From a very early age, it is best | | | | finished eating an apple one day, and offered her mum |
| to "explain while you talk while you do". If you are | | | | the core. Her mum said: "Put it in the garbage." Saffron |
| feeding her potato, tell her it is potato; if you are | | | | went toddling off, not to the garbage bin, but to me. I |
| preparing a bottle of milk, tell her you are making her | | | | was the garbage bin to her, because that is what I had |
| milk. Every time you do something in front of her, it is | | | | "taught" her a few weeks earlier.That brought lots of |
| an opportunity to teach her about what is happening | | | | laughs, but when she was corrected the revised |
| around her. By doing so you will speed her knowledge | | | | knowledge stuck, and now in the same situation she |
| and understanding, expose her more to language, and | | | | wanders off to find the real garbage bin.Teaching your |
| also help to build your relationship with her. By | | | | baby is a daily and ongoing activity, but one that can |
| conversing with her all the time, you are showing her | | | | just be melded in with your normal activities. It's a fun |
| respect as an individual, and that will help her | | | | time for both of you, so enjoy it while you can.This |
| confidence and feeling of belonging. If you treat her as | | | | teaching baby article was written by Roy Thomsitt, |
| dumb, she will be dumb.There is no need to force a | | | | owner author of the Bouncing New Baby website. |
| baby to learn anything. To be effective and useful, it | | | | |