"What mattered to babies a thousand years ago is still what matters today:
You, the parent, are your baby's best learning tool."
Nina Sazer O'Donnell, director of National Strategies for Success
Friday, December 28, 2007
How to Raise a Smart Baby
http://children.webmd.com/features/how-to-raise-smart-baby
Smart Babies:
What to Do at Every Age and StageTo help you home in on what you can to do to encourage your baby's brain development at every stage of growth, our experts helped WebMD put together the following age activity guide.
Age: Birth to 4 months
Read; make silly faces; tickle the body; slowly move objects in front of your baby's eyes, like a brightly colored rattle; sing simple songs and nursery rhymes with repetitive phrases; narrate everything you and your baby will do, such as "We are going in the car now; we are putting you in the car seat; Mommy is getting into the car."
Age: 4 to 6 months
Help baby hug stuffed animals; stack things (like plastic blocks) and let your baby knock them down; play music with different rhythms; show your baby books with brightly colored pictures; let your baby feel objects with different textures.
Age: 6 to 18 months
Talk and interact face-to-face to increase connections between sounds and words; point to familiar people and objects and repeat names; sing songs with repetitive verses and hand motions; play hide and seek.
Age 18 to 24 months
Play simple recognition games like "spot the yellow car" or " the red flower," or put three objects in front of your child and say "Give me the ..."; talk directly to your baby as much as possible; introduce your child to writing tools such as crayons and paper; ask "where and what" when reading to your child; encourage some independent play with favorite toys
Age: 24 to 36 months
Lavish your child with praise and encouragement as he or she perfects motor skills; bolster your child's imagination by encouraging new ways to use toys; help your child incorporate 'real life' activities into play, such as pretending to talk on the phone, drive a car, have a tea party; when reading, incorporate your child into the story by asking questions; point to words while you read to your child; encourage identification of words on the page or their sound.
Ages 3 to 5:
Teach sharing by example; play simple board games to foster learning rules and skills; limit TV/video watching to one to two hours per day, and watch with your child to make it interactive. As children advance, offer simple choices (read a book or do a puzzle); limit the use of the word "no" and encourage exploration and natural curiosity; give your child respect and attention and show patience as your child tries to explain his or her new experiences; make time each day to sit with your child and discuss what he or she did that day, encouraging your child to explain and explore new experiences.
Smart Babies:
What to Do at Every Age and StageTo help you home in on what you can to do to encourage your baby's brain development at every stage of growth, our experts helped WebMD put together the following age activity guide.
Age: Birth to 4 months
Read; make silly faces; tickle the body; slowly move objects in front of your baby's eyes, like a brightly colored rattle; sing simple songs and nursery rhymes with repetitive phrases; narrate everything you and your baby will do, such as "We are going in the car now; we are putting you in the car seat; Mommy is getting into the car."
Age: 4 to 6 months
Help baby hug stuffed animals; stack things (like plastic blocks) and let your baby knock them down; play music with different rhythms; show your baby books with brightly colored pictures; let your baby feel objects with different textures.
Age: 6 to 18 months
Talk and interact face-to-face to increase connections between sounds and words; point to familiar people and objects and repeat names; sing songs with repetitive verses and hand motions; play hide and seek.
Age 18 to 24 months
Play simple recognition games like "spot the yellow car" or " the red flower," or put three objects in front of your child and say "Give me the ..."; talk directly to your baby as much as possible; introduce your child to writing tools such as crayons and paper; ask "where and what" when reading to your child; encourage some independent play with favorite toys
Age: 24 to 36 months
Lavish your child with praise and encouragement as he or she perfects motor skills; bolster your child's imagination by encouraging new ways to use toys; help your child incorporate 'real life' activities into play, such as pretending to talk on the phone, drive a car, have a tea party; when reading, incorporate your child into the story by asking questions; point to words while you read to your child; encourage identification of words on the page or their sound.
Ages 3 to 5:
Teach sharing by example; play simple board games to foster learning rules and skills; limit TV/video watching to one to two hours per day, and watch with your child to make it interactive. As children advance, offer simple choices (read a book or do a puzzle); limit the use of the word "no" and encourage exploration and natural curiosity; give your child respect and attention and show patience as your child tries to explain his or her new experiences; make time each day to sit with your child and discuss what he or she did that day, encouraging your child to explain and explore new experiences.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Ask Supernanny - What Every Parents Wants to Know
A is for Attention.
Positive attention is a powerful way of reinforcing good behaviour. Show your kids that you notice when they do well.
B is for Boundaries.
Boundaries aren't barriers, they are safe limits within which kids can explore and develop. Put the boundaries in place so your children know what's expected of them.
C is for Confidence.
Make your decisions confidently and show your kids you’re happy in your role. It’s all in the tone of voice and body language.
C is for Communication.
Keep talking and listening to your kids and to each other. It’s the key to everything.
D is for Determination.
Focus on achieving your positive goals and make sure you follow through. Find your inner strength.
E is for Effort.
You get what you put in. Go the extra mile in everything you do and you will be rewarded with results.
F is for Family
Recognize the uniqueness of your family and embrace it.
G is for Grandparents.
It’s a true Special Relationship. Grandparents play such an important role in the family dynamic – they’ve earned it!
H is for Honesty.
Honesty is the only foundation on which to build trust.
I is for Involvement
Get your kids involved in what you do. Togetherness strengthens the family unit.
I is for Inner Child
Step into your child’s world and release your inner child.
J is for Journey
Parenting is a journey. Recognize the milestones you achieve along the way and the adversities you overcome.
K is for Kindness
Show your kids compassion and basic human kindness.
L is for Love
Love is unconditional. It’s the strongest force there is.
M is for Manners.
Teach composure and good conduct and lead by example so your kids learn to respect themselves and others.
N is for Nurturing
Nurture your children’s emotional needs.
O is for One-to-One
One-to-one attention bonds the ties between each member of the family unit.
P is for Praise
Give your kids plenty of praise when they do well. Reward good behaviour with positive affirmation.
P is for Promise.
A promise is only a promise when it’s kept.
Q is for Quality Time.
Parenting may be hard work, but it isn’t a chore. Cherish your special moments.
R is for Respect.
Provide your kids with the guidance they need to respect themselves and others.
S is for Sharing
Sharing is the key to social skills and building strength in relationships.
T is for Time
Put the time into your parenting. Manage your time efficiently to keep chaos and disarray at bay.
U is for Understanding.
Acknowledge your child’s viewpoint and put yourself in their shoes.
V is for Values.
Teach your kids your family values and what’s important to you.
W is for Wisdom.
Wisdom comes from experience and from having the courage to step forward and made mistakes – don’t repeat them, learn from them.
X is for kisses.
Kids and parents can’t get enough of them. Be affectionate and tactile.
Y is for you.
Look after yourself and recharge your batteries. If your emotional purse is empty, you’ll have nothing to give your kids.
Z is for Zzzzzzzz
Sweet dreams
Jo Frost (2006) Ask Supernanny - What Every Parent Wants to Know, Hodder and Stoughton, London
Positive attention is a powerful way of reinforcing good behaviour. Show your kids that you notice when they do well.
B is for Boundaries.
Boundaries aren't barriers, they are safe limits within which kids can explore and develop. Put the boundaries in place so your children know what's expected of them.
C is for Confidence.
Make your decisions confidently and show your kids you’re happy in your role. It’s all in the tone of voice and body language.
C is for Communication.
Keep talking and listening to your kids and to each other. It’s the key to everything.
D is for Determination.
Focus on achieving your positive goals and make sure you follow through. Find your inner strength.
E is for Effort.
You get what you put in. Go the extra mile in everything you do and you will be rewarded with results.
F is for Family
Recognize the uniqueness of your family and embrace it.
G is for Grandparents.
It’s a true Special Relationship. Grandparents play such an important role in the family dynamic – they’ve earned it!
H is for Honesty.
Honesty is the only foundation on which to build trust.
I is for Involvement
Get your kids involved in what you do. Togetherness strengthens the family unit.
I is for Inner Child
Step into your child’s world and release your inner child.
J is for Journey
Parenting is a journey. Recognize the milestones you achieve along the way and the adversities you overcome.
K is for Kindness
Show your kids compassion and basic human kindness.
L is for Love
Love is unconditional. It’s the strongest force there is.
M is for Manners.
Teach composure and good conduct and lead by example so your kids learn to respect themselves and others.
N is for Nurturing
Nurture your children’s emotional needs.
O is for One-to-One
One-to-one attention bonds the ties between each member of the family unit.
P is for Praise
Give your kids plenty of praise when they do well. Reward good behaviour with positive affirmation.
P is for Promise.
A promise is only a promise when it’s kept.
Q is for Quality Time.
Parenting may be hard work, but it isn’t a chore. Cherish your special moments.
R is for Respect.
Provide your kids with the guidance they need to respect themselves and others.
S is for Sharing
Sharing is the key to social skills and building strength in relationships.
T is for Time
Put the time into your parenting. Manage your time efficiently to keep chaos and disarray at bay.
U is for Understanding.
Acknowledge your child’s viewpoint and put yourself in their shoes.
V is for Values.
Teach your kids your family values and what’s important to you.
W is for Wisdom.
Wisdom comes from experience and from having the courage to step forward and made mistakes – don’t repeat them, learn from them.
X is for kisses.
Kids and parents can’t get enough of them. Be affectionate and tactile.
Y is for you.
Look after yourself and recharge your batteries. If your emotional purse is empty, you’ll have nothing to give your kids.
Z is for Zzzzzzzz
Sweet dreams
Jo Frost (2006) Ask Supernanny - What Every Parent Wants to Know, Hodder and Stoughton, London
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The science of parenting
Margot Sunderland (2006) The Science of Parenting: Practical guidance on sleep, crying, play and building emotional wellbeing for life, Dorling Kindersley Limited, London.
Starting this little project of mine
Summarising books that I read have always been my favourite pastime. I miss those times when I would sit down at the food court at Raffles Hospital for hours reading all sorts of books. Boon Heng would be playing his 2-hour football at the nearby field.
Before I discovered I was expecting, I would read any title which grabbed my atttention. Then it was books ranging from pregnancy, breastfeeding to far-fetched topics like reincarnation. Now, as a young mother to Oliver, I have a new resolution, that is to pen all these summaries into a blogspot. Perhap Oliver may one of these days find these information useful or laughable.
Alrite... it is so fun to begin this little project of mine =)
Before I discovered I was expecting, I would read any title which grabbed my atttention. Then it was books ranging from pregnancy, breastfeeding to far-fetched topics like reincarnation. Now, as a young mother to Oliver, I have a new resolution, that is to pen all these summaries into a blogspot. Perhap Oliver may one of these days find these information useful or laughable.
Alrite... it is so fun to begin this little project of mine =)
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