Smart Start Baby

Smart Start Baby Ten brain-building games to play

By Malia Jacobson

Playing with your baby yields more than sweet smiles, squeals, and coos. According to researchers and child development experts, simple, everyday games can boost your baby’s brain development, fostering growth in language, science, math, and organizational skills (called executive functions) along with social and emotional learning.

Babies at play are learning about themselves and their world, says Sarah R. Lytle, Ph.D., director of outreach and education for the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at University of Washington. “Babies are these natural scientists. They’re always playing games that are actually experiments. Every time a baby drops their spoon off their high chair, they’re figuring out their world and how it works.”

Here’s how to help your little scientist along with games that benefit cognitive development from birth through age one.

Back and forth

Quality interactions with loving caregivers are vital to cognitive development in general—things like responding to babies’ coos and cries, gazing into their eyes, and making silly faces. “In a high-quality interaction, you want to see a true back-and-forth exchange between a parent and a baby. When the baby babbles, the parent responds like they’re having a conversation,” says Lytle.

Where’s the cup?

By four to seven months old, babies begin developing object permanence, or the knowledge that something still exists even when it’s not visible. Simple games like moving a cup just out of sight and asking your baby “Where’s the cup?” help your baby toward this memory milestone.

Baby gym

No, you don’t need to take your baby to spin class. But physical activity—think tummy time, crawling, scooting, walking practice, or parent-child swim—can boost brain growth. Canadian researchers found that physical activity benefits cognitive development, especially executive functions and language skills, in children from birth through age five.

Why, thank you!

When your baby hands you a toy and looks at you expectantly, they’re initiating a game that develops social and emotional intelligence, says Lytle. Play along by responding with delight (“Thank you so much!), waiting a beat, then handing the toy back, and keep the back-andforth going for as long as your baby stays interested.

Bust a move

Exposing babies to music introduces the concept of rhythm, which benefits mathematical skills, says Lytle. Encourage this learning with mini dance sessions as early as the newborn stage (holding your baby, of course), spending 5-10 minutes bouncing and swaying to the beat of songs you know and love.

Rhyme time

Reading books filled with rhyming words, like The Cat and the Hat, help your baby develop phonological awareness, an important component of language and literacy, says Lytle. “Books work well for this because as

parents we don’t normally speak in rhymes. And we tend to get into verbal ruts and use the same words over and over again. Books expose babies to words and rhymes you might not normally use.”

Face it

Just hours after birth, babies show a preference for gazing at faces, which boosts visual development and cognitive growth. Stanford researchers found that by four months old, babies facial recognition skills rival those of adults. A simple game like placing your face 10-12 inches from your baby’s face, then switching with another person or even a stuffed animal and waiting for your baby to respond, can help babies hone this important skill.

Skill-building

That shape sorter you may have received at your baby shower is great for developing spatial awareness and mathematical ability, says Lytle. Once babies get a bit older, building blocks can help continue that development. “With blocks, babies are testing their environment and really getting into some complex concepts related to math, like volume, distance, and how structures work,” she says.

Baby comedian

“Parents sometimes think that in order to build language skills they need to ‘fill their baby’s bucket’ with a lot of words,” says Lytle. “But the back-and-forth interaction is what really benefits cognitive growth.” Try responding to your baby’s early coos and first words with a hearty laugh, a squeal or a surprised face. The sillier the better, since babies are often delighted by these responses and more interested in keeping the interaction going.

I get it

Playing together provides opportunities to boost social and emotional skills by helping your baby understand and process emotions, says Lytle. “When your child becomes frustrated, talking about the emotions they’re feeling is important. When parents say ‘I understand why that made you upset,’ they’re scaffolding [or supporting] important social and emotional concepts.” Focused, attentive interactions with loving caregivers are the best brain-builders, says Lytle. When caregivers play with babies, they can make the experience even more beneficial by focusing on their baby and tuning out their phone and other distractions. “To create a highquality interaction, it’s important to be fully present and really focus your attention on your child.”

Malia Jacobson is a health and family journalist.

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BABY EXPO June 6th | 12pm-2pm

Don’ts & Dos on Coronavirus by Jane M. Orient, M.D.

DON”T DO ■ Don’t panic. That is always good advice. Do not join a mob at a big-box store. Somebody there is no doubt infected. Plus, there’s the risk of getting trampled or injured in a fight over the last roll of toilet paper. ■ Don’t go to the emergency room or urgent care unless you are severely ill. There will be sick people there, and you might catch something. And if you have the flu or a cold or COVID-19, and don’t need IV fluids or oxygen, they can’t do anything for you. Telephone advice lines instead. ■ Don’t waste. Expired medications are probably still good. Most drugs or essential ingredients are made in China, and supplies are running out. ■ Don’t touch your face or your eyes. That is very hard—preventing that is one function of a mask and eye protection. ■ Don’t fall for internet scams, or malware. Hucksters will always be around to try to profit from panics.

Now for some dos: ■ Do prepare to take care of yourself and your family. Be sure you have a fever thermometer, disposable gloves, plastic garbage bags, and cleaning supplies. A pulse oximeter is good to have to check oxygen levels. ■ Do clean and disinfect surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones, computer keyboards, toilets, and countertops often. Virus can persist there for days. ■ Do wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer. With SARS-CoV-2, most disinfectants work, including 70-percent-alcohol-based sanitizers. ■ Do take your vitamins. Most people may be vitamin D deficient. Your need for vitamin C escalates with infection. ■ Do protect your immune system, with adequate sleep, exercise, fresh air, and diet, especially avoiding sugar if you feel ill. ■ Do help your neighbors, and be responsible about protecting others as well as yourself from contagion. Some of the views expressed are controversial, Consult your doctor.

Jane M. Orient, M.D. obtained her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and her M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1974. She has served as Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) since 1989. She has served as Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), also the managing editor of the Journal of (AAPS) and is currently president of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness.