Most parents know that their babies are learning while playing. However, they are not too sure what exactly is being learned.
Play is a natural way by which babies learn to understand the world around them, and to develop skills to cope with their world as they grow.
Graco My Ride
What babies learn as they play is varied:
o Emotionally the game of peek-a -boo in its simplest form teaches baby security. He is reassured that mother is always there although she may seem to disappear for a while as she opens and closes her eyes, or as she uses a hand to cover them, or as she calls to him from behind his cot and he has to turn his eyes towards the sound of her voice. Sometimes she may show and then hide a favourite toy and he has to crawl to look for both mother and the toy.
It may take a little time for baby to develop this sense of security but time spent on playing this game is worth it when you see him becoming more and more confident.
o Physically babies learn to adjust the degree of strength they need to exert as they play with push-pull toys and doll carriages.
They also learn to develop their sense of balance as they sit on and ride large toy vehicles, climb other types of climbing toys, and even the stairs.
o Babies show creativity and artistic talent when drawing with big, crayons and finger paints, or knead and pull play dough. They are learning about textures, colours and images.
o Early problem solving skills are learned when babies play outside in the sand box. As he scoops, pours and digs in the sand, he is learning to manipulate his surroundings.
Later he may learn to sort and group objects like twigs and pebbles he plays with in the garden.
He may play with blocks of different sizes and shapes and while stacking and knocking them over again and again, or fitting them into containers based on shapes, he will learn how to problem solve.
o Babies learn social skills as they play with stuffed animals, dolls and toys. For example mothers often ask babies to point to or group 'Daddy Bear,' 'Mummy Bear,' and 'Baby Bear' together, thus teaching him about the family. Or she may teach him that unsociable behavior like spitting out food deliberately is unacceptable by telling off a doll that it has done wrong to spit out food.
o When parents read large, cupboard picture books with their babies they are building his communication skills. Turn each page slowly as baby sits on your lap. Mothers should point to and articulate each action and describe each figure on the page. Role play the appropriate actions and sounds found in the book for baby and he will remember their associated words over time. Leave books in easily accessible places for baby to select and look at and he will 'read' and articulate what he sees in his own baby words. All these help him develop academic skills.
o Allow baby to express his love and affection, or dislike for any of his stuffed animals or toys. In this way he is working out his feelings without fear of being punished for doing something unacceptable as considered from adult eyes. Mothers need to probe for the reasons for his negative feelings and then encourage baby through words and actions to 'forgive' and develop more positive feelings for the particular stuffed animal, doll or toy.
Happy playing and teaching!
Pat
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