Help Your Children Learn

Parents, grandparents and caregivers love children and want them to grow up feeling loved, being educated and of course happy. You can help a child learn and be happier using these five simple guidelines:

1.  Understand and respond to your baby’s needs. When they cry pick them up, you cannot spoil an infant. Your baby crying is how they are communicating with you and though you may not understand all of their cues responding to them will build their trust in you as the caregiver.

2.  Talk, sing and read to a child. Having them hear your voice will help to form a deep emotional bond. Babies and young children are very interested in sound and it is the building block of speech and language.

3.  Take care of you. Ask for help when you need it. It is easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed so take a break, go for a walk or call a friend. Just make sure baby is safe and well taken care of and then pamper you.

4.  Create a routine. Children like to know what is expected and having a predictable routine provides them comfort and security. A routine for feeding, bathing and bedtime teaches them to trust you and creates less fussing and stress for child and caregiver.

5.  Interact. When you interact with a child they feel loved, respected and can learn easier about the world around them. Take them to the park and swing with them verses just watching.  Be silly and goofy and let them see you smile and laugh.

Adapted from a poster campaign distributed by Born Learning™ and United Way.