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Babies Have Learning Styles, Too
Read our Review of "How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability"!
Meredith is a noisy baby, playfully babbling,
cooing, and clicking her tongue. Carlitos,
another baby, is quiet and visually alert, eyes
intently focused on his crib mobile and his
mother's face. Wyatt is a wiggly baby, arms
and legs in motion as he kicks off his crib
covers.
Beginning as early as the first few months
of life children reveal their particular
preference for learning. Meredith already
displays the characteristics of a Listener,
Carlitos, a Looker, and Wyatt, a Mover.
Learning styles can be identified so early
because they're inborn and run in families.
In my own practice I've noted that in over
80 percent of the children I've seen, learning
style is either identical to that of one parent or
a blend of both parents' styles. Another 10
percent have a learning style like that of a
close relative such as an grandparent or uncle.
From the time they're in the crib, Listeners
are attuned to sounds and words, talk early
and have large vocabularies. From the first
year of life Lookers are drawn to color, shape
and motion and display excellent eye-hand
coordination. As babies Movers often crawl,
stand and walk ahead of schedule and are
well-coordinated.
It's never too early to introduce variety in
play with your baby. For example, if your baby
tends to favor Looker toys (such as crib
mobiles or a busy box), make it a point to bring
in Listener and Mover toys as well.
Here are some guidelines for helping your
baby derive the most benefit out of your play
times together:
- Make your baby comfortable. A baby
is happiest when he's recently fed, rested and
changed.
- Make eye contact with your baby.
Gazing into her eyes as much as possible and
make exaggerated faces while you speak will
encourage your baby to stare back.
- Keep your baby close to you. Sitting
within arm's length of your baby will allow you
to offer plenty of soft strokes, encouraging
words and loving smiles.
- Speak baby talk to your baby. (See
the article in this issue on "The Importance of
Talking Baby Talk to Your Baby.")
- Know when to quit. Despite their
natural curiosity, infants are susceptible to
"stimulus overload." You can avoid a cranky
baby by ending your play together before it
loses its appeal.
- Choose a variety of Looker, Listener
and Mover toys. Here are some suggested
toys to stimulate all avenues of learning:
To Encourage Looker Ability in Babies:
- Suspend colorful mobiles over your baby's
crib.
- Indulge your baby's need for frequent
eye contact. Meet her glance, gaze at her,
and let her be the one who looks away.
- Put pictures of family members in a "Who
Loves Baby Photo Book" by Sassy.
To Encourage Listener Skills in Babies:
- Leave a radio playing softly in the
nursery.
- Talk to baby as you tend to his needs,
describing what you're doing, asking questions,
and using any sort of response as his answer.
- Invest in "The Babbler" by Neurosmith
which exposes infants to the sounds of
Spanish, French, and Japanese.
To Develop Mover Know-how in Babies:
Learn to do infant massage, and treat
your baby to this sensory experience often.
Attach a crib gym with suspended rings,
bells, and knows for baby to grab and kick at.
Provide toys that your baby can push
while standing like "Corn Popper" and
"Musical Chimes" both by Fisher-Price.
Copyright © Lauren Bradway, Ph.D. is a speech-language pathologist and learning style consultant who has specialized in working with children for over 25 years. Visit her website.
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