When playing together, talk to your baby about what your baby is experiencing. DeCasper A.J., Fifer W.P. (1980). Of human bonding: newborns prefer their mothers’ voices. Science. ;208(4448):1174–1176. Simion, F., & Giorgio, E. D. (2015). Face perception and processing in early infancy: inborn predispositions and developmental changes. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 969. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00969 Rovee-Collier, C. (1999). The Development of Infant Memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8(3), 80–85. New Jersey Council for Young Children. (2013). New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards. Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/education/ece/guide/standards/birth/standards.pdf
Shortly after birth, newborns can recognise their mother's voice.
A study found that two-month-old babies could remember for a day or two, and the games that had been played. Playing games with babies and talking about what they are experiencing helps develop their memory and other cognitive abilities.
After infants turn six months old, caregivers can develop their working memory by playing "Hide and Seek" or games that involve hiding objects. Child-initiated play within safe boundaries allows children to move at their own pace, try out new ideas and feel unrestrained by adult rules. This experience helps them develop their own identity and learn to navigate the world independently.
In children below two, hiding things and finding them again reinforces the concept of "object permanence". This refers to the understanding that objects continue to exist even if they are unseen. When playing games that involve hiding toys for others or themselves to find, children exercise their short-term (working) memory and processing speed. Such games also develop visual-spatial abilities as they need to look and make comparisons to assess if something can be fully hidden, and categorize things in which items can and cannot be hidden. All these skills lay the foundations for building the cognitive abilities of young children. Pelphrey, KA.; Reznick, JS. Working memory in infancy. In: Kail, RV., editor. Advances in child development and behaviour. Vol. Vol. 31. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 2003. p. 173-227. Haden, C. A., Ornstein, P. A., O'Brien, B. S., Elischberger, H. B., Tyler, C. S., & Burchinal, M. J. (2011). The development of children's early memory skills. Journal of experimental child psychology, 108(1), 44–60.
Read more at CD-MEM-C03.