There is so much development going on right now! Here are some games/fun ways to bond with your little one as they develop.
Laughing
This one is probably about as individual as every baby. Try making your baby laugh by saying things in a funny voice, playing peek-a-boo, getting up close and saying, "Hey" over and over again (that's what got my little guy to show those pearly gums), and showing them themselves in the mirror. Laughing and smiling has been proven to release endorphins so laugh and smile more not only to bond with your baby but also to help you and your baby be happier!
Gross Motor
Your baby might be using their hands more to grab at the air but you can also place a rattle, their sock, or something else on their belly while they are laying down. Watch as they move their hands to grab it or knock it off. It's pretty cool watching your little one maneuver their tiny hands around in order to do something.
Tummy Time
I hope tummy time has been getting better and longer. You might even hear a couple squeals of excitement from your baby! Get on your tummy too and talk to them, laugh with them, and show them how to roll over. You can also take a rattle and shake it to the side of them. This will help not only their brain to determine where the sound is coming from but also to move their head while on their tummy. That's like triple duty!! Man, your baby is learning so much!!
Temporal Lobe (with the Lullaby)
Your baby's temporal lobe is really starting to develop. The temporal lobe is in charge of remembering visual memories as well as storing new memories, processing sensory input (understanding what they are seeing, feeling, smelling, hearing, and tasting), emotion, and comprehension of language. SO MUCH LEARNING AWESOMENESS!!
Let's break down what processing sensory input looks like:
A lot of learning disabilities are caused by the inability to process information correctly. By practicing some of the activities below you are helping your baby input information correctly. For example, pretend the brain is like a filing cabinet and each time you touch their hand and say, "hand" their brain is putting in an index card with the word "hand" into the "hand" file. Eventually they will look at their hand, retrieve the index card from the correct file and recall that this object on their body with 5 little things sticking out is a hand. If a person didn't work on developing the temporal lobe then it will be as if the brain is a messy filing cabinet with incorrectly labeled files and index cards in the wrong places. Memory (both short and long term) wouldn't be accurate, memorization would be very difficult, you could have trouble reading because your brain is misplacing the sounds/spellings/words which would then affect your comprehension. Math and science could also become difficult/inefficient as you couldn't accurately memorize facts, formulas and steps. And as you can tell a messy filing cabinet not only affects the input processing but also the memories, understanding of emotions, and comprehension of language. But don't worry, no complicated learning activities here, you are probably already helping them develop just with what you do everyday!
There are many things you can do to help the temporal lobe rock in it's development. You can read to your baby. Describe the pictures, the plot or lesson (although in some books its really hard to find it), the characters, and the feelings of the characters. This helps with the comprehension of language and understanding emotions. You can also read the My First Words and other similar books that are basically quizzing books. Those are great for helping to store new memories.
Talk about your emotions and your baby's emotions. I like talking about my and my baby's emotions because it is helping me get into the habit of talking about my emotions with my child. I want to be able to tell my child what emotion I'm feeling and reacting in a positive or at least constructive way so they know they can do the same AND so they understand that other people feel those emotions too!
Is this a good time to start sign language? You betcha!! Baby signs are found all over the internet and books (I even found a pop up book that taught sign at a grocery store the other day!) This is awesome for the temporal lobe because it works the sensory input, memorization, and comprehension of language!! You can start small with signs for eat, sleep, and change diaper and move to other signs as you wish! And as an added bonus sign language baby babble is the CUTEST thing in the world! You won't see a lot of them signing back to you for a while because the temporal lobe is working on input not output but I promise you that they will sign back to you someday. And it'll be the cutest thing in the world.
Continue talking with your baby, especially describing the things you see, hear, and feel. Your baby is not only figuring out what these things are, but that they have an effect on him/her! That's the sensory input processing working away! You can sing songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", and one of my favorites that combines listening, feeling, and comprehending is "Tony Chestnut". Listening because your baby listens to the word you are saying, feeling because they feel the body part you are touching and comprehending because there is an actual story in the song. This is a great song because you can act it out for/with your baby and have you other kids join in too! I'll admit, the youtube video is a little interesting, but I love to sing this song and act it out with my son.
Lyrics:
Tony Chestnut knows I love you
Tony knows
Tony knows
Tony Chestnut knows I love you
That's what Tony knows
Tony
Tony
And his sister Illene
And Ilene loves Neal
And Neal loves Pat
But Pat still loves Bob
And there's Russell
And Skip
This song is silly
But it's hip
How it ends
Just one man knows
And guess what?
Its Tony Chestnut
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