27 December 2010
1. Give your child chances to experiment with new objects and environments. Novel experiences not only feed your young child's natural curiousity, but also spur the growth of new connections in the brain. Exposure to interesting toys and games stimulates her brain, and as it processes new information, its wiring develops.
2. Stop an activity when your child starts to turn his head away or fuss. When it comes to learning and brain development, beware of too much of a good thing. Avoid over-stimulation. Pay attention to your child's cues. Signs like turning his head away or fussing and crying indicate that your child has had enough of an activity and should be given quiet time to rest or digest what he has just experienced.
3. Make time for playtime. While classes like gymnastics or swimming lessons are great influences on your child's development, too many can have diminishing returns. The reality is that safe, supervised play in an unstructured environment can be as beneficial to her development of creativity, reasoning and understanding.
This does not mean that supervised play groups are not valuable. Watching and playing with others - parents, siblings, and peers - floods your young child's mind with new ideas. In social settings like play groups, play grounds, child care programs or even library reading hours, she'll learn to use objects in new ways and to interact in socially accpetable ways.
4. Don't rush to turn on the computer. Experts suggest waiting until your child is at least three years old before introducing him to the computer, since children young than three lack the motor skills or attention span to absorb the benefits of computer learning. Also, no research shows that computer activities give young children a head start in school or are more beneficial than spontaneous play or interaction with others. Instead, young children need to play and explore in three dimensions, not in the two-dimensional world of a computer screen.
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