How to Stimulate an 11-Month-Old's Senses
While just a few short months ago your baby was a helpless newborn, he̵7;s almost a year old now and already fully engaged in exploring the world around him. Your almost-toddler is a little sponge, soaking up all the information and experiences you offer and learning from your example. By stimulating your baby's senses on a regular basis, you're helping the billions of neurons in his developing brain to make more and more connections, explain Sara Gable and Melissa Hunting in "Nature, Nurture and Early Brain Development," which forms his brain's wiring system and makes him smarter.
Things You'll Need
- Textured storybooks
- Music makers (pots and pans, piano, xylophone)
- Textured objects (fleece, sandpaper, brush)
Instructions
Read to your baby regularly to stimulate sight and sound, and help her to develop early language skills. Find books with colorful pictures and talk about the different colors. Look for books designed for babies with different textures for her to feel and use different tones when you read -- you̵7;ll have her utmost attention when you incorporate a few whispers. Make music. You can show your baby how to bang on pots and pans, play the piano while he taps along on a xylophone or simply play a wide variety of music to expose your baby to different sounds. Teach your baby simple songs he can join in on, too, such as Pat-a-Cake. Explore animal sounds; you can show him pictures of different animals and make the corresponding noises or play songs that incorporate animal noises. Introduce your baby to all the things in her environment by pointing out and identifying everything around her. You can carry her around the house, pointing to and naming cupboards, kettles and chairs. Get down on her level and point out objects as you cruise around, or take her on a buggy ride outside, pointing out trees, flowers and animals. When you̵7;re outdoors, help her to explore her sense of smell by stopping to smell flowers, noticing the odor of freshly cut grass and pointing out other unfamiliar scents. Use quiet moments to help stimulate your child̵7;s hearing, encouraging her to stop and listen to the birds chirping, airplanes flying overhead or laughter from children playing nearby. Use food as an opportunity for your baby to explore with his senses, letting him explore different textures, scents and tastes. Put your baby in his highchair and let him sample different foods, keeping in mind foods that might not be safe. For example, give him slices of a banana for him to mash between his fingers to feel the mushy texture. Let him smell and sample the taste of a slice of lemon. Help your child label tastes and smells by identifying the sweet smell of the fruit and then ask him how it tastes and feels in his mouth. Let him compare the differences between a banana slice at room temperature and one that has been chilled in the fridge to experience warm and cool. Fill a box with items that have different textures, such as sandpaper, a fleece scarf, a soft-bristled brush and a hard ball. Take the items out of the box one at a time, have your baby hold or touch the object and talk about its texture. You can use laundry time to explore touch, too. Just let your toddler feel items with different textures, such as smooth, soft sheets and rough hook and loop fasteners, and identify the texture.
