ACTIVITIES FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT FROM AGES 0-1

● Massage helps the brain to develop a map of the body. Name and move the body parts while you massage. ● Let your child lie on his back on your lap. Bring the two hands towards each other in the middle of his body and then move them to his mouth. ● Then take the hands to the feet and repeat the movement roughly three times to encourage him to become aware of his body. You can take hand to opposite foot and bring the two together. In this way, crossing the midline is already encouraged at an early stage. ● Cycle your baby’s legs. ● Hold your baby close and turn to both sides. ● Let your baby lie on his back, lift the hips and bottom and keep it in the air while his feet remain on the ground. ● Tummy time is strongly encouraged. Start with short bursts and as baby becomes stronger, he can be placed on his tummy for longer periods. ● Tummy time strengthens muscles in the neck, back and arms that are important for rolling, crawling, reaching out to objects and playing. Parental supervision is important, and baby should rather lie on a harder surface than on a pillow to avoid the risk of suffocation. ● Stimulate your baby with ball games. It’s a lovely activity to promote movement and stimulate the vestibular system. Start bouncing your two- or three-month-old baby on a ball. Support the hips and thighs with your hands, and place a hand behind his back to prevent him from falling backwards. ● Lie your baby across the ball on his tummy, and rock him forwards and backwards. ● Once your baby’s seven to nine months old, you can gradually provide less support and stability when he’s on the ball. Just hold his hips or legs and help him move forward, backward and to the left and right; it’s important for his balance. ● Later on you can place objects in front of the ball for him to pick up while you support his body. ● Many studies have shown how good it is for brain development to be carried close to mom’s body. Buy a pouch. ● Chat to your baby and show him things in his environment. React when he makes sounds and start “chatting”. ● Start reading stories at an early age, and recite poems. ● Sing to and play music for your child. ● Keep his attention by pulling faces and blow him a raspberry, for instance. ● Mimic each other. Babies love that. ● Expensive toys aren’t necessarily the best for your baby. Invest in the kind that stimulates as many senses as possible. Consider mobiles, rattles, toy phones, blocks, balls, and rings, toys that make a noise, fabric books and toys with contrasting colours.