Ayva started going to daycare when she was 4 months old. The teachers in her nursery were kind and attentive, and best of all, they were extraordinarily chatty. Between Ayva’s communicative teachers and her extra talky mama, it’s no surprise that she started talking early. Even though there were times that her teachers and I probably looked incredibly silly, our one-sided conversations to baby Ayva weren’t that one-sided after all. Little did we know, she was soaking it all in, and by the time she was 2, she was regurgitating everything we had ever said to her, and every song we had ever sung, right back to us.
I gotta say, it was pretty cool! Watching Ayva’s social skills develop is actually the thing that I miss the most about being the mom to a baby and toddler. To see her change and grow before my eyes was truly a miracle!
When children are babies, and they’re super fragile and not able to do much, it’s easy to forget that they’re actually really humans. Yup, those teeny tiny little snuggle bunnies whose only form of communication is to cry, poop and smile (or is that gas?) are actually miniature people who need social engagement to be able to grow. I think most parents are over feeling ridiculous about having full-fledged conversations with a baby, but the next step is to actually feel a sense of pride. Your funny songs and high skill games like the challenging “peek-a-boo” and “I got your nose”, are actually encouraging social and emotional growth. You should get a trophy!
Seriously, though, it’s important to take the time to talk, read, play and sing to babies. The first year of their life is their most critical time of development. First 5 California gets it. They have put together a ton of awesome, age appropriate and free resources for ideas of things to do to encourage your child’s development. The premise is simple. All you have to do is Talk. Read. Sing. ® It changes everything.
Head over to the First 5 California site for lots of fun activities including free PDF downloads of Potter the Otter books and videos! #talkreadsing #first5california #first5CA
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