Simple, fun and safe – these are the kinds of experiences babies need to develop their thinking and imagination.
Just having fun playing and getting to know each other makes your baby feel loved. This naturally sets the scene for the brain to develop and imagination to soar. It helps babies understand life and their part in it.
What to expect
- The world can be a pretty scary place for your new baby. Your baby doesn’t even know that he is a person yet. Or that you will take care of him. Your baby will thrive on feeling secure and loved, and in turn this will help brain development.
- At about four weeks, your baby will recognise and respond to your voice. This is on top of learning and getting better at things such as breastfeeding or bottle-feeding.
- At first, your newborn will be fascinated by your face and will gaze at you in wonder. Your baby is making sense of your features and voice, and storing lots of information away.
- Your baby might gaze for ages at a bright mobile hanging above the cot or sleeping area.
- Your baby can become exhausted easily if bombarded with too many people, sounds and activities. Babies want to experience the world – but not all at once. Sometimes too much stimulation will also make baby too tired to sleep, so watch out for those tired signs.
Play ideas for encouraging thinking and imagining
From the moment of birth, babies’ brains are working hard to understand what’s going on around them. There are lots of fun ways you can provide new experiences that will stimulate your baby’s thinking and imagination.
- Talk to your baby often, hold your baby, and make eye contact. You can’t spoil a baby of this age. Lots of love and affection can bring you both closer. And that feeling can help your baby develop.
- Make faces with your baby. This is a game you can play together from birth. Some newborns can stick out their tongues or make an ‘O’ with their lips in response to a grown-up doing the same.
- Give your baby lots of different things to look at – friends or family playing in the backyard, flowers in the park, colours and shapes. You can also turn lots of ordinary things around the house into free toys.
- Give your baby lots of new experiences. This will help to stimulate the imagination. Simple things will give your baby a wealth of stored memories and image. Try walks in the park and around neighbourhood streets, as well as visits to different places.
- Give your baby a soft toy or rattle to touch and hold. You could try this when your baby is a few weeks old.
- Gently rock or massage your baby. These sensations, along with different smells and sounds, all add to the picture your baby is building of the world.
- Show your baby bright pictures in books, recite nursery rhymes, or sing songs.
- Listen to wind chimes, birds or different types of music.
- Your baby will be captivated by the sound of your voice. When you talk, baby might stare at your face for several minutes, taking it in.
- Touch your baby’s toes and fingers – you could even play a naming game with them.
Play is about just having fun together. The learning comes naturally as a result. So if your baby isn’t interested in an activity, try something else. Let your baby lead the way.
Babies grow and develop at different rate, in their own time. If you’re concerned about any aspect of your baby’s development, it’s a good idea to see your health professional. Consider this if your baby doesn’t seem to make eye contact or interact with you.
