Follow your baby’s interest, and play with things that interest your baby. When your baby shows signs of overstimulation, take a break. These could include turning away, closing eyes, back-arching, fussing or making fussy sounds, hiccupping, crying, or falling asleep. Only resumethe interaction and play again when your baby has rested adequately.
Babies at this age (0 – 2 years) are in the sensorimotor stage - the first of the four stages in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. It is a period of very fast cognitive growth. During this time, children use their senses and actions to explore, discover, learn and grow. This period begins with basic reflexes and advances through a series of “stages” to complex sensory and motor skills, and early symbolic thought. Physical development (mobility) allows the child to begin developing new intellectual abilities.
Your baby’s very first playmates are their parents and other caregivers. Responsive interactions such as talking to babies and responding to their actions will encourage exploration and build their brains. Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D., (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, Board on Children, Youth, and Families. National Research Council. (Level III) Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Studies have shown that mothers can scaffold or support their young children’s development through explicit verbal direction, and verbal and nonverbal behaviours that sustain children’s focus on things of interest. Dunham, P. J., & Dunham, F. (1995). Optimal social structures and adaptive infant development. In Moore, C. & Dunham, P. J. (Eds.), Joint attention: Its origins and role in development (pp. 159–188). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Landry, S. H., Garner, P. W., Swank, P. R., & Baldwin, C. D. (1996). Effects of maternal scaffolding during joint toy play with preterm and full-term infants. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 42(2), 177–199.