Babies begin to learn rapidly from the moment they are born. By the end of the second year of life, growth of the human brain is almost completed. For good mental growth, the child's greatest need is the adults love and attention.
If a child has plenty of love and attention, and babyish play, as well as good nutrition and health care, the child's mind will grow well.
Play is important to a child's development. Parents can help a child to play.
Child plays because it is fun. But it is now known that play is also an important part of a child's development.
By playing with simple objects and imitating the world of adults, children begin to learn about the world around them.Play also helps develop the skills of language, thinking, and organizing.
Children learn by trying things out, comparing the results, asking questions, setting themselves new challenges, and finding ways to succeed. Play builds, knowledge and experience, and helps a child to grow in curiosity, confidence, and control.
Parents can help a child's play and learning by providing things to play with and suggesting new things for the child to try to do. But parents should not control or dominate the child's play too much. They should watch closely and follow the child's ideas and wishes.
Parents can help a child to do what he/she wants to do; but if parents do too much, the child loses the chance to learn by trying to do things for himself/herself. A child learns most from trying to do something and failing and then trying a different way and succeeding.
When a very young child insists on trying to do something for himself/ herself, parents should be patient. As long as the child is protected from danger, struggling to do something new and difficult is a necessary step in the child's development even if it means some frustration. A little bit of frustration can help a child to learn and master new skills. Too much frustration can be discouraging and gives the child a sense of failure. Parents are the best judge as to his/her when to offer help and when to leave the child to find their own solutions.
Children love to dress up and pretend to be someone else-mother, father, teacher, doctor, or some imaginary character. This kind of play is also important. It helps the child to understand and accept the ways in which other people behave. It also helps to develop the child's imagination. Parents can encourage these 'let's parented' games by giving children old clothes, hats, bags, beads, or pieces of fabric to play with and dress up in.
A child sometimes needs to play alone. But sometimes he/she needs to play with adults as well. Talking to infants, repeating words and sounds, singing, music, nursery rhymes, repetitive babyish games-all these are vital to the child's happiness and normal growth and development.