How to Promote Cognitive Development in Infants
Cognitive development is a branch of study that looks at how a baby or child gains knowledge. As a child grows, she gains the ability to learn more complex lessons, but even an infant is constantly learning through language, music, sights and other stimuli. According to psychologist Jean Piaget, infants from birth to age 2 are in the sensorimotor period, and gain knowledge from everything from looking in a mirror to hearing songs to listening to speech. Experts suggest several ways to help promote infants' cognitive development, all of which are easily worked into your regular interactions with a baby.
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Instructions
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Carry on conversations with your infant as if conversing with an adult. For example, talk about the weather as you point your baby toward the window, or explain how you are preparing the infant's meal or laying out clothes. Although he won't understand you, he's listening to speech patterns, which he will eventually connect with communication.
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Play peekaboo with your infant by holding up your hands in front of your face, or a blanket gently over her face. This, according to experts, helps infants learn that things exist. As they get older, they learn that things exist even if they can't be seen, such as your face behind your hands.
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Name objects you encounter to your infant. For example, "This is a ball. See the ball?" Hide the ball and ask, "Where did the ball go?" Produce the ball again and exclaim, "Here is the ball!" This helps your infant both learn that objects have names and that things exist even if they cannot be seen.
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Name body parts as you play with your baby. Hold his hands and name them or put your finger on different areas, such as his belly or nose, and repeat the body part name. This exercise helps him name things and learn that objects have different names.
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Demonstrate simple moves for your infant, such as clapping, waving hello and goodbye, and patty-cake. This helps the baby connect movements with meaning.
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Move colorful objects slowly in front of your baby. Once she can follow side to side, practice up and down and circles. This visual exercise can help your baby distinguish different sights.
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Play classical music or sing songs to your baby. Even nonsense songs help him understand music as a communication tool. Sing the same song during the same activity, such as one song for bath time or diaper time. If the song has movements -- such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider" -- do those movements each time, involving the infant, if possible.
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Show your baby her own reflection in a mirror. Give exaggerated smiles into the mirror, and point to her reflection and say, "Who is this? This is Anna!" This helps her learn that she exists, and is a separate being from what she can see normally.
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Read to your infant every day. Show him pictures and point along to words as you read. He may not appear interested at a young age, but reading helps his language and visual development. Allow older infants to flip through books on their own to improve their tactile cognitive development skills.
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Tips & Warnings
Try not to get frustrated by the lack of interaction from your baby. Very young infants rarely smile, but may acknowledge you through an intent gaze. Even if she doesn't seem to acknowledge you, she is learning as you sing, converse or demonstrate things to her.
Instruct your child's caregivers on how to promote her cognitive development, especially if your infant spends the majority of the day away from you. This ensures she is constantly exposed to positive cognitive development stimuli.
References
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