Encourage exploration. Your baby learns about the world by looking at people and objects and touching them. He learns by moving around. Help him learn in familiar places and in new places. Show him how you look at, listen to, touch, smell or handle things.
Be your baby’s teacher. In the early years, a lot of important learning happens when you play and talk with your baby. Babies learn from what they see and hear their parents do. They learn by trying to do things with their parents’ help.
Communicate. Talk and sing to your baby. He has been learning about language since birth, and this helps him. When he smiles, smile back. A smile is communication, too!
Make sure your baby is safe. Stay in the room with him while he is awake, so you can watch him. It helps to set the room up in a way that lets your baby be comfortable. You should be able to reach him easily. He should be able to move about without hurting himself.
Do things over and over again with your baby. Babies learn by playing the same games or listening to the same books many times. Your baby learns what it means to reach, make sounds or smile when you give him lots of chances to do these things. Be sure to find times to play and talk to your baby when he is rested and alert.
Protect your baby from disapproval, teasing or punishment. Babies depend on their parents to help them learn how to behave. Never let anyone punish your baby. Never let anyone treat your baby harshly. Never let anyone tease him in a rough or uncaring way.
Celebrate with your child. Get excited about the new things your baby does and the sounds he makes. Get excited about little and big things. Make a big deal about the things your baby does. When you do this, he learns that what he does matters and is noticed. This can be as simple as smiling back at your one-month-old when he smiles, or clapping your hands in praise.
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