Neural connections develop at rapid rates in baby's brains from their earliest months of life. Find out specific ways to support healthy brain function in infants. Learn how to create an enriching and stimulating environment that ensures proper brain growth and function.
During the first year of life, neural connections are developing in babies brains every day. It is essential for caregivers of infants to understand the importance of brain development. There are specific things parents and teachers can do to support healthy brain functioning in infants.
Our world is an exciting place to little ones. Babies learn through their senses. Babies experience their environments through sight, touch, hearing, taste and their sense of smell. New experiences and stimulation cause different areas of the brain to grow new healthy neural connections. Keys to remember are that infants learn through sensory experiences, language and repetition. The emotional parts of baby's brains are directly affected by interactions with parents and caregivers.
It is important for babies to be responded to and interacted with in loving, compassionate ways. Touch and infant massage, cuddling with and rocking a baby all help with the emotional connections developing rapidly in the brain. Infants need to feel they can both rely on and trust their caregivers to soothe them when they are upset. Developing a consistent daily routine helps babies to feel more secure in their surroundings.
Babies learn through exploration. Be sure to have plenty of age appropriate toys on hand. Change the toys every few days to keep the babies interest. Brightly colored toys are stimulating, as are those with unique images, sounds, textures, and patterns. Interact with the baby and take part in their play and exploration. Exposing the baby to stimulating new sensory experiences strengthen connections in their brain.
Language development in babies also starts from the early months in life. Babies listen to their caregivers voices, with sensitivity to vocal volume levels and tone. Babies can respond to facial expression and learn through imitation. For example, by the age of 3 months, babies are able to communicate with their caregivers through facial expressions, slight laughter and new sounds. Infants can recognize their caregivers face, voice and touch. Reading to infants and singing to them, as well as playing imitation games with them is valuable.
Environment and day to day interactions can strengthen neural pathways in an infant's brain. The baby must have a nurturing environment that provides consistency, security and developmentally appropriate toys and activities. Repetition of many positive experiences helps to strengthen neural connections in the infant's brain to ensure proper brain development.
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