- Importance of Early Childhood Stimulation
Early childhood stimulation is essential for brain development. It helps your baby reach developmental milestones faster, have better muscle regulation and have good motor coordination. The set of actions and exercises done at an early age aims the development of his abilities, whether the motor, language, cognitive, social, or emotional ones. It can improve your baby’s curiosity, creativity, and adaptability. Furthermore, it reinforces his verbal communication and social interactions.
Studies have long known that babies need to be exposed to rich and complex environments for optimal brain health and potential. Exposure to new sights, sounds and other sensory experiences appears to be important for strengthening infants’ developing brains.
Parents and psychomotor therapists can provide early stimulation from day one. The focus will be on stimulating the baby’s gross motor skills and movement coordination, strengthening his muscle tone regulation, promoting his hand preference, developing his body awareness and body organization in the space, as well as his attentional skills.
The early stimulation is done through “play”. Play stimulates babies to use their bodies and senses, developing their way of thinking and intelligence. The most important part about it is that it has to be fun for both babies and parents/therapists.
A psychomotor therapist can propose play stimulation to show and teach parents how to play with their kids. It can be done through simple activities such as:
- Movement activities (rolling over, sitting position, crawling, going on all fours, walking, running, jumping)
- Music activities (singing songs, playing with musical instruments, discovering sounds through body percussion, dancing and rhythmic moving)
- Creative art (construction and building with blocks or Legos, painting, coloring, drawing)
- Sensory stimulation
- Symbolic play and pretend play
- Fine motor play activities (pegboards, threading beads, play-dough, playing with sponges, rice races, water play)
A stimulating environment should include defined areas that represent learning, play and relaxation. This can contain safe and calm spaces, soft furnished areas, book corners, music area, and spaces for learning and playing. It is also important to closely consider color choices for each area.
Mrs. Tania Hachem
Psychomotor Therapist