Parents Corner

Infant Development

Written by: Julie Loe, B.S., PTA, Director of Pediatric Services

Goals of a baby's development

1. Learn to trust and to enjoy being with people.

2.. Learn to influence the environment.

3. Achieving a sense of self-confidence and self-esteem.

4. Learn to enjoy new experiences, and to enjoy the process of learning itself.

5. Attaining skill in touching, holding and moving.

6. Understanding the qualities of objects, how things work, how to use objects as tools, how to plan, and how to make a plan work..

7. Learn to communicate with people through gestures and words.

Basic requirement for achieving these goals

1. Loving and responsive people who devote time and attention to understanding the baby's needs and who meet the baby's needs in reliable and effective ways.

2. Opportunities to have an effect on the environment, including: objects that change as a result of being manipulated by the baby.

3. Exposure to varied, stimulating, and challenging experiences.

4. Encouragement of curiosity, exploration and play.

5. Examples of skills the baby is trying to learn. such as fitting objects together, and making speech sounds.

Purpose of playing with your baby

1. To help your baby develop basic skills such as focusing the eyes, coordinating the eye and hand, distinguishing differences between almost identical objects, etc. — skills that will have immediate payoff in fun, and a later payoff in the ability to perform more complicated jobs such as reading and thinking.

2. To help your baby become aware of how the skills can he useful in exploring the world around him.

3. To learn that LEARNING is enjoyable. He will have fun learning and (get satisfaction not only from the activity, but also from the results.

4. To impart to the baby some basic facts about himself and the world. He will learn the world is an orderly, consistent and interesting place.

5. To increase your baby's confidence in you as a trusted person.

For questions, comments or additional information on this topic, send a feedback note or fax (805) 771-9538.

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