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Oh my word. I have just had one of the most exciting afternoons of my life, listening to Dr Suzanne Zeedyk of ConnectedBaby.net . This feels like a life changing experience.
I am probably a little bit notorious for talking endlessly about the importance of babysigning and the benefits - but yesterday, 14th November 2015, I received all the validation I could ever need, in order to KEEP ON enthusing about the importance of babysigning and music and singing with your baby. No apologies on offer here! Did you know? It is common for a 3 day old baby to remember what he has heard in the womb? If you sang a particular song to your baby, or your partner read a particular story - well your baby is very likely to respond more intensely SPECIFICALLY to that song or story and to respond most to the voice they heard whilst in utero. Yes, it really is worth making sure that your baby knows your voice and that you have soothing words and feelings to convey to your child even before they are born. Remarkably, research in 1980 (yes, all that time ago!) indicates that babies recognise their mothers' voices ab initio. (1) Babies actively seek out interactions with their caregivers. right from the outset, they attempt to mimic facial expressions, gestures, body language, vocal utterances. They are HARDWIRED to be social creatures and to learn about whether their world is happy and safe or fearful/full of anxiety and dangerous. Their early experiences are highly influential. I am a baby signing enthusiast - some may say I am obsessive. If so, I am glad! I am a woman on a mission to help parents discover the joy of communicating and connecting with their babies. I absolutely promise you that if you commit to signing and singing every day as a matter of course with your baby, you will establish the most intimate relationship and understanding of your child. And believe me, there is nothing more intensely gratifying and fulfilling than giving your child the tools to connect and communicate specifically with you, even before he or she can articulate him or herself verbally. Rhythm matters, melody and harmony matter. Babies are wired to respond to music and to seek it out. You only have to visit one of my classes where the babies are fidgeting and at a bit of loss until suddenly, we start singing, and the babies are utterly enraptured. (1) http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch10_development/sound_perception_in_the_womb.html
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We are totally blessed in the UK to have such changeable weather. If you are reaching for your holiday brochure of permanently warm climates, hang on a tick and hear me out... Living in the UK, we are lucky to have so much variety in the weather - and culturally speaking, many conversations would probably never have been started, if we didn't have this variety upon which to comment. So, whether you're a permanent resident, a long term visitor, or just staying in the UK for a while, you can't fail to be affected by the weather - be it for good or ill! The weather here DOES have a significant impact on our lives - and we have our four glorious seasons to enjoy with our children - each of them carrying the potential for many new, exciting experiences with them. In the spring, the season of new growth, lengthening daylight hours and fresh colours, we have the sunshine, the April showers (lots of splashing about in muddy puddles), the beautiful spring flowers, the new leaves on the trees, increased activity of native animals and birds to talk about. Some days are sunny, some rainy, some showery, some windy, some warm, some cold, some even snowy. There is much to talk about with our children. In the warm summer days (2012 excepted!), we have the longest days of all, the bright midday sun, the exuberant flower colours, busy insects, gardening, paddling pools, days out, picnics, lots of time outdoors, thunderstorms, camping, holidays abroad. So much to talk about. As autumn comes and the leaves start to die off, we have the beautiful autumn displays, shorter days, more changeable weather - lots of wind and rain - lots of puddles to splash in again, conkers, leaf rubbing, playing in piles of colourful leaves, wrapping up a little bit warmer, an extra hour in bed (unless you have a baby.... ;) ), warming foods, cosy days and evenings at home, coughs and sneezes, harvest festivals, animals hunting out the last vestiges of the summer food bounty, umbrellas, gloves, boots. So much to talk about. And at the turn of the year, we find ourselves in winter. Short daylight hours, cold weather, frosts, snow, hats, gloves, boots, scarves, extra layers, longer in bed (unless you have a baby... ;) ), winter holidays and celebrations, warm colours to wear, decorating the house for various holidays, spending time at home with our families and pets. So much to talk about. The weather is a hugely important part of our lives in the UK - affecting babies and toddlers as much as it does grown ups. Talking about the weather and the seasons has many benefits for our children - many of which we can easily relate to the EYFS requirements for 0 - 5s.
So when we teach weather related signs in week 3 of Stage 2, we are doing much more than promoting small talk or simply noticing that it's raining (again). We are teaching an awareness of the world around us and our children. We are teaching the passage of time. We are teaching children to observe how they feel in different weather conditions. Experience the weather as a child does - with interest and wonder at all the differences. To cite Sir Ranulph Fiennes, there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. In week 3 of our Stage 1 classes, our babies meet a new friend - the one and only Jessie Cat. She quickly becomes a favourite class visitor for the babies (and toddlers) and she offers many learning opportunities in the class environment, as well as much fun and excitement. I have been overwhelmed, this term (Sept 2012) with the number of babies who have fallen for her instantly; sometimes it can take a few weeks for the Jessie Cat phenomenon to sink in - but I have had trembling, squeaking, laughing babies from the outset this term. What a privilege :) So how does a black and white cat encourage your child' curiosity and game playing? Playing the Peek A Boo game with Jessie, when she hides in the box and then pops up, predictably and safely, creates a sense of anticipation amongst the babies. Some of them can barely contain themselves when she makes her appearance and by the end of the term, it is very common for a teacher to feel like the Pied Piper when Jessie comes out to play - babies at our feet and knees, holding on to the table for the best view, sitting up the table to be as close to her as possible.... it's absolutely magical to be part of these moments. It is Jessie Cat's Peek A Boo game that teaches the essence of the very sweet "Where?" sign. For me, it is possibly the most expressive sign that our babies learn and use; often it is quite approximate - sometimes one hand only, sometimes frantic waving of both hands - but the intention is always clear. Usually, their hands only do part of the communication here - it is their facial expressions, their body language, their vocal utterances and their interaction with the Cat in The Box - that bring it together. This wholehearted engagement and concentration on Jessie is quite something to watch from the teacher's perspective. The weekly routine of Jessie Cat and her Peek a Boo game builds familiarity and helps babies to hone their sense of object permanence. Jessie and indeed any cuddly toy, or object (probably your house keys!), your face, your baby's dinner - all provide great sources of entertainment with hiding and revealing. Babies pick up the "rules" of this interaction quite quickly - and it is not uncommon for teachers to receive delighted reports from parents that their baby has INSTIGATED a hiding/revealing game - often at tea time, dropping the spoon onto the floor and then, with a cheeky expression, signing "Where?". Then mummy or daddy picks it up again, only to have a repeat performance on their hands :) As well as the sheer fun of sharing giggles with peek a boo games with your baby, there is a lot of cognitive accomplishment going on in your child's brain at the same time. Object permanence - the point at which a child recognises that a partially or fully hidden object still exists, even though it is out of sight - is a key developmental achievement and - I believe - an important step in the child's development of a sense of identity. Often, the blossoming of object permanence, the fun side being the peek a boo games, is accompanied by a marked increase in separation anxiety. Perhaps it is also one of life's hardest lessons? To start realising a mere few months after your birth that you are indeed separate from your caregivers and they can disappear, even temporarily, seems to trigger a very basic level of need for security. If you've just started playing Peek a book games with your baby, then you might find it interesting to observe whether this does coincide with an increase in or the start of separation anxiety! The main thing to remember when playing such games with your baby, though, is to have fun! Whilst watching our children gaining new skills and exploring the world and the relationships around them can be intellecualised and formalised until the cows come home, the main point of these games is to use them to interact in the present with your child, not to tick achievements off on a chart - if you spend too much time maintaining the achievements list, you may miss out on a whole lot of fun with your baby :) So in week 2 of the Stage 2 classes, we introduce colours. I have to say, the look on the faces of the grown ups as I talk and sign them through the main colours of the rainbow, plus a handful more, can be highly entertaining.... the degree of concentration is very high. Aside from the sheer number of signs that colours introduces in one burst in one short class, there is some important information to impart about HOW to teach colours to your toddler. I must point out that colour recognition is not usually expected by child development professionals until most children are around 3 years or more - so I would like to stress that, whilst we teach colour signs to you in the toddler class, please do not think that your toddler must/should be successfully identifying colours! Our class offers you ideas to get you in the right frame of mind. Of course, just as with anything, you are your child's main teacher and mentor - so it stands to reason that if you show your child colours and explore different colours in the world around you, then he or she will stand a chance of learning about colours earlier than may be "expected". It is always your choice though! In my experience of teaching babysigning classes, I have realised that there seem to be two principal stages of colour learning. The first, and possibly the harder of the two, is to help your child to understand the concept of colour. The second stage is to help them distinguish and correctly identify different colours. Stage 1 of colour learning. First of all, a child needs to grasp that colours exist! Quite a big ask for their brains, when it's actually quite an abstract concept. I believe that I have hit upon a successful and EASY way of helping this along, though. What you need: Several items (e.g., blocks, cars, socks, balls, etc,) that are identical in every respect apart from their colour. Teaching the concept of colour Gather the items together and talk with your child about the similarities you see. The same shape, the same weight, the same name. Next (you guessed it!), talk about the fact that the items are the same apart from ONE THING. Then explain that the items are DIFFERENT COLOURS. Pretty simple! It DOES work though - I promise. Of course, your child is unlikely to grasp the concept the first time that you play this colour game. But you wouldn't expect them to ride a bike the first time either, would you? Stage 2 of colour teaching - the ACTUAL colours What you will need:Several items (e.g., blocks, cars, socks, balls, etc,) that are different in every respect apart from their colour. Teaching a specific colour Gather the items together and talk with your child about the differences you see. The different shapes, the different uses, the different names (etc.). Next talk about the fact that the items are DIFFERENT apart from ONE THING. Then explain that the items are THE SAME COLOUR. There are many resources on the internet to help your child with colours - from craft activities to SmartPhone apps to games to play at home. Here's a link that I particularly like: http://www.underfives.co.uk/colourshr.html
Comments (ideally positive) are most welcome.
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AuthorTrish Cummings - waxing lyrical about babysigning, babies, toddlers, parenting, and sharing her many opinions :) lover of South East London, ex pat of Cornwall. Archives
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