How To Sharpen Your Child’s Brain: Lesson 2

Lesson 2: Newly Born Stage

Introduction:

Every parent wants their children to develop faster and better than themselves in all spheres of life, including but not limited to good morale, academic performance, love for nature, friendliness, care for family etc. Despite these wishes for their children, parents and care givers seem very busy with their own lives to the extent that they can forget their children are part of their lives. Irrespective of how busy parents are, they have good quality time for themselves and their children within the first few months of childbirth, especially for women. This is due to two major factors, like when the parents take their annual work leave during this period and because relatives or paid care givers are available to help with the house chores.

As explained earlier, to sharpen the brain of a child is to give an activity-based task that is a bit above average for the child. The essence is to force the child to adjust to the task gradually and, with time, such a task will become a norm for the child.

The task appropriate to a newly born child less than three (3) months old is child tossing play. Imagine holding a baby and another person stretching the hand to take the child but the child refuses, only for another person to stretch the hand and the child gladly wants to leave your arms. Or at another time, a person who was declined by the child is now accepted by the child. This behaviour by kids under three months is different from when the child is more than three (3) months old. This is due to the fact that the child may have learnt certain signals from the parents and care givers as to how to react in various circumstances. The child tossing play by parents can be used to teach the child certain things consciously, which are

a) Parents’ signals

b) assertiveness

c) choices

The parents and/or care givers play

The play involves each parent or caregiver holding the baby while the other person stretches his/her hands to pick up the baby. Immediately, the person takes the baby, the former person stretches the hand back to take the child. Repeat this in quick succession. At the beginning, parents should let the child enjoy the seeming attention the child perceives he/she is getting until the child decides he/she has had enough and not moving again from which of the partners he/she decides to stay with. There may be love jealousy from the losing partner especially when that partner looses the game consistently. After the child matures in the early stage of the play, parents can introduce ‘signals giving’ to the child not to move to the next person. These signals may be of help when you find yourself and your child in an environment where you may not want your child to move to others from your arms.

The plays for each stage of the child must be played on a very regular basis to be effective. Otherwise, the child’s development may become a normal process.

a. Parents signals

Gone parents use their eyes to communicate with their wards. It can still be done now using children tossing play. Signals like holding your child a bit tight on multiple occasions when your partner stretches his/her hands to take the child to signal the child not to move could be the most important chance you may have if you do not want your child to move to someone you never wish to touch your child. Looking into the child’s eye sternly or with a smiling face may be your other signal to avoid the child’s movement. This signalling may be a bit beyond the understanding of a child below three (3) months and so it is an appropriate method to sharpen the child’s brain of the new born.

b. Assertiveness

Imagine a child who decides not to move to the other person no matter the attempt or offer, like presentation of candies or singing the child’s favourite songs. The child is definitely asserting his/her decision. This practice of the child moving to the person can improve the child’s assertiveness when the tossing game is done regularly. This is because the child is being presented the opportunity continuously to take a decision and assert it when asked to change his/her position

c. Choices

One common lesson that is learnt in all playing games is the child being presented with an opportunity regularly to play or not to play. This ability to decide when he or she is ready to play any of the games will be of the utmost help to the child in the future decision making in his or her interest, since the child is never forced to continue or start playing the game.

Another important benefit from this particular play is the child believing the parents are fighting for his/her attention. It does actually nurture love between the child and the parents. More importantly, this game has the tendency to neutralize tensions between couples because you can not play this game with a frowning face staring at the child.

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