Homeschooling For Your Baby

Babies are amazing. They are far smarter than we give them credit for and take in much more information than we think. If we give them the right tools, we can set them up to be more equipped learners later in life. However, for most parents, this really shouldn't be a pressuring task. When we meet their most basic needs, oftentimes that is all they need.

The Great Observers

If you stay home with your infant, chances are high that they are within a few feet of you almost all day. A huge part of the baby-wearing craze is that babies learn so much from being close to their caregiver. They hear the variances in your voice and tone, they hear you sing, they feel every movement. Since he is so close to you most of the time, he sees the world through your eyes and becomes more in touch with both verbal and non-verbal communication as he observes your facial expressions and tone and rhythm of your voice as you go about your day.

Let Them Explore

Set up baby-proofed and safe areas inside and outside that are able to be explored. Here, they can try out their motor skills freely and explore different smells and textures independently. There are endless possibilities outside the walls of your home, too. Get some fresh air in the backyard or at the park.

Sing to Them

The little guy is right next to your face all day anyhow, make use of it! A new study by scientists at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows that a series of play sessions with music improved 9-month-old babies’ brain processing of both music and new speech sounds. Just hanging out for the day, or doing some chores at home? Put some music on and sing your heart out!

Baby Signing

There are tons of research on this growing fad, although it is not really a fad at all- it has been around for decades and in all parts of the world. Baby signing is sign language that you can use to communicate with your baby. Since babies desperately want to communicate long before their mouth muscles can cooperate to form words, signing is helpful for lots of families. By teaching your child words such as “more,” “thirsty,” “cold,” and other basic needs verbalized, it minimizes frustration for the both of you. What’s also interesting is the research that shows that signing babies grow up to be much more advanced talkers than their non-signing counterparts.

Creating Strong Building Blocks

At the end of the day, don’t feel pressured to fill every hour with complex enrichment activities for your little one. Chances are, you are doing much of it without even trying simply by fulfilling their most basic needs. Ultimately, the goal is to create a strong springboard for them to jump off of when they are ready. As long as you love them and desire for them to thrive, you have already given them everything they need to succeed.