section 2
Stimulation and play
0-3 months
meeting
14
Let’s review:
Once the meeting starts, welcome everyone and ask the participants: • Who can help us remember what we talked about in our last meeting? • Who was able to do the activity at home that we asked you to do at the end of the meeting? How did it go? • Does anyone have questions or concerns after doing the activity?
What are we going to learn?
About the importance of stimulation for social and cognitive development. Let’s talk about it! We are going to look at some pictures so we can talk about what we know about the topic. In what ways do you think newborns can be stimulated? Why do you think it’s important for newborns to play and to be stimulated?
What are a few ways to show affection and love to babies?
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Activity:
“Games for my baby” We will learn some games that will help 0-3 month- old babies develop.
What we’ll need: • A mattress or bedroll
WHAT WE’LL DO: • A container with game • Ask the mother of the three month-old if the instruction cards (see below) group can observe her for a while. • A mobile (or a stick with objects • After a few minutes observing, ask the participants to mention some of the baby’s hanging from it) characteristics. • A plastic bottle with seeds inside • Ask the mother to put her baby on the mattress • Big sheets of paper and then put the container with the game’s • A 3 month old baby instruction cards next to the mattress. • Ask a few volunteers to pick a card and play the game described on it with the baby. • When they are done, ask all the participants to talk about what they think the baby learned through the games. Write out their ideas on a big sheet of paper. • To finish up, ask the participants to think of reasons why we don’t play with babies.
Game Instruction Cards (write each of these ideas on a card): • Get close to where the baby is lying and call his or her name. When the baby finds you, move to a different place and do it again. • With the baby lying on the mattress, dangle objects of different colors and sizes over his/her head so that the baby can look at them and try to touch them. You can also tie them to a stick with a few pieces of string to make a mobile. • Move an object back and forth across the baby’s line of vision to stimulate his or her eyesight. • Put a bottle with seeds or pebbles in it, in front of the baby, and shake it to encourage him/ her to look at it and try to touch it and also to stimulate his/her hearing. • Carry the baby over to the wall and allow him or her to look at colorful papers stuck on the just at eye level (bright newspaper or magazine clippings work well).
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Summing Up:
What did we learn today? Now, we’ll review what we discussed today. • How do you feel after this meeting? Why? • What are the two most important things you’ve learned today? • What will you do differently based on what you learned during the meeting? • What did you like the most? Are there things you didn’t like? • Do you have any remaining concerns or questions about what we talked about? To finish, what would you recommend to improve today’s meeting when we do it again with another group. (Explain that answering this question will help the meeting be even better in the future for parents with small children.)
To do at home:
Using material you can find in the community (pieces of wood, small gourd bowls, little colorful balls, etc.) and make a mobile to hang over the place where the baby sleeps. Make sure that it does not pose a threat to the baby or any other member of the family. (See Games CD for details)
Basic information for the facilitator: Learning more about stimulation and play: Children start learning from birth. Research suggests that most of the development of intelligence in children begins in the womb and continues till the age of seven years. During the first two years of life most of the growth of brain cells occurs. If the brain develops well during these early years learning potential is increased. Caregivers need to watch for and take advantage of the times when babies are alert and ready to play and be stimulated. Young babies learn through stimulation of their senses – hearing, touch, sight, taste and movement of their bodies. From birth the baby attempts little by little to move his limbs and muscles and acquire control over them. Caregivers need to be aware of the value of the many important everyday opportunities/activities that exist which stimulate baby’s mental growth and development. These activities include:
secction 2 / 0-3 months • meeting 14
56 • Interaction with people. Babies will track people and objects with their eyes and respond to bright faces and bright colors. • Touch: Babies will reach, discover their hands and feet; lift their heads and turn toward sounds. They can quickly handle safe objects and notice their different texture, smell, sound and taste. • Movement: The three-month old baby can enjoy the pleasures of vigorous play. Once he can lift his head off the mattress it will not be long before he discovers how to get his shoulders off by putting his weight on his forearms. By nine or ten weeks and when placed down on their side, babies will roll onto their backs. By three months, the baby has learned to roll from his back to his side. But in order for this development to occur, he needs the help of his caregivers to provide the opportunity. When the baby is placed on her stomach on a mat on the floor, the objects may be put in front of her to encourage her to look and grasp. • Sight and hearing: Suspending safe small colored moving objects above the baby’s crib which she can hit and make move provides visual stimulation. Caregivers can play or sing rhythmical music and move in time while holding the baby close. This can be done anytime, e.g. diaper change; feeding; bathing. The beginning of a baby’s language learning is when caregivers hear and respond to the young baby’s communication. Caregivers can make cooing sounds, then wait for baby’s response – alternating between making sounds and waiting for baby to respond. Babies can also copy the mouth movements and sounds of their caregivers. Caregivers can also move the young baby close to objects which the baby is looking at and talk about the object to the baby. Hearing different sounds stimulates brain cells to interpret sounds and that is the foundation of language learning. All family members should take opportunities to play and interact with young babies. Fathers who play gently with their young babies provide a sense of security.
Facilitator’s Manual