"Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!"

Little Julia, like many normal babies, loves having her mom sing this silly song, pointing to the body parts as she does. And Julia is only four months old. As she gets older, this song will become one of her favorite toddler games, because by then Julia will be able to do the actions herself and eventually even sing along.

Singing, bouncing, clapping and cheering—-these aren’t just silly family ideas for passing the time with babies. Movement and playtime actually help babies' development!

Scientists say music increases learning. Just turn on a CD or radio and see your child bounce! A normal baby moves her arms and legs to the music. Watch 1 year old babies as they bang on a toy or on their high chair tray. A 2-year-old wiggles and marches, waving her arms. Play the songs enough, and your 3-year-old will learn the words and sing along as she whirls through the room.

Movement Builds the Brain

Soon after your baby’s birth, 100 billion brain cells begin connecting to one another to form complicated networks that allow her to learn and think. By the time she’s three, her brain has formed about 1000 trillion connections.

Simple, active exercises with your baby can boost this brain growth and create the connections she’ll need to learn important skills later. Plus, they can help build a stronger bond between you and your child.

How do you start? For a very young baby, make your movements simple.

  • Give your two- to six-month old toys and objects to grasp. Let her lie on the floor to get plenty of exercise.
  • For a four- to six-month-old and beyond, clap your hands to a song, dance her around the floor and sing to the music.
  • For a nine- to fourteen-month-old, sit on the floor together and place toys outside her reach or inside containers.
  • Encourage her to find them. Reward her with cheers and hugs. Show how to bang two blocks together when listening to music. Chant rhymes and hold hands while clapping rhythms together.

Simple activities like these allow your baby to fine-tune her motor skills, making important connections in her brain.

For toddlers, harness all their energy and put it to work.

  • Find songs with motions, like “Itsy-Bitsy Spider,” “I’m a Little Teapot,” and marching songs. Guide her in the motions. Make it fun by giving her safe toys to shake, rattle or bang.
  • Add variety to your playtimes, since big movements and small movements develop different skills. Coloring on paper and stuffing blocks into containers build one part of the brain. Throwing a ball, running in the yard and marching to a song develop another. Both kinds of activity are important for healthy growth and future learning.
  • Allow your child to do favorite activities over and over. It may be boring for you, but it’s great for her. Repetition builds stronger connections in the brain.

You are your baby’s best teacher. Together, you and she will shake, rattle and roll your way to building brain power and growing a healthy, happy child. 


 

Shaunna Howat is a teacher and freelance writer. She lives in Ohio with her husband and their three children.