Crawlers and toddlers can move around a room using their natural curiosity to explore and manipulate everything in their path. Infants, who are much less mobile, rely on caregivers to provide them with sensory stimulation and movement experiences.
Adults, who actually become educational consultants for infants, can enrich the learning experiences by providing appropriate toys and props to stimulate the infant’s visual, auditory, and tactile capabilities.
Motion and touch are exceptionally important types of sensory stimulation which provide infants with information about their bodies, the location of their bodies or body parts, communication from the caregiver, and can be either soothing or stimulating. Sensory actions can be maximized in the following ways:
Visual Most infants prefer looking at people, rather than things. They can focus and follow slowly moving objects. They can distinguish shapes and forms, especially faces. For the best visual inspection, mobiles should be hung about twelve inches from the infants eyes and could include the upper half of a face, bold patterns, or an unbreakable mirror.
Auditory Infants can recognize and discriminate sounds. Talking, reading, singing and humming are great ways to vary and enrich the auditory stimulation of an infant. These are especially good strategies for diaper changing, bathing, and playtime.
Tactile Tactile stimulation is one of the most important ways to communicate to an infant. It is essential that an infant feels secure and develops a basic sense of trust. It is the adult caregiver who determines the nature of the interactions. Playful touching and massaging will convey tenderness, security, and attention.
Vestibular Vestibular (or motion) stimulation is powerfully comforting. Rocking or swaying is a universal soothing technique which spans across cultures. The infant’s vestibular system is very responsive to motion stimulation. The motion should be gentle and slow. Fast paced movements or sudden stops and starts can cause injury or distress in the infant. Motion can be provided up and down, like bouncing or lifting the infant.
To learn more about stimulation activities for children, and to view our unique Sensory Stimulation Kit - visit our website at: http://www.brightdv.com/intelligence.php
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