Every moment is a possible opportunity for learning. When it’s play time, there are endless possibilities for you to help your baby enrich his mind with toys and games that will hone a variety of skills. But even though it’s just down time or you’re engaged in another activity, let’s say, like taking a bath, it still holds vast opportunities for his mind to be stimulated.
So how do you enrich your mind during bath time?
First off, before undressing your child for the bath, introduce him first to the objects around him especially the bath things that you’re going to use to bathe him such as soap, shampoo, sponge, bath tub and so on. Tell him about the uses of these things, “this soap will clean your body while the shampoo will wash your hair.” This is instrumental in his language development and broadening of his knowledge about the things around him.
Next, you can talk to him about the things you’re doing while bathing him. Say things like “Let’s go wash this cute little head of yours” or “I’m now soaping your hands, now your arms and then your shoulders!” By doing this, you’re acquainting your baby with his different parts of the body. For now, he may not show signs that he understands you or he may not yet distinguish what his hands are and what his feet are but eventually, it would be much easier for him to point out his body parts when he’s a little older. This is also good in terms of widening his vocabulary and concepts.
Make him listen to music while you bathe him. Music has always been known to be an effective stimulant of a baby’s brain. This is why pregnant mothers make the babies inside their tummies listen to classical music. Why not do the same now that he’s already here in the outside world? Play classical, upbeat, pop music and expose him to a wide variety of melodies and tunes that will stimulate his mind.
It’s also a good idea to sing to him. Your baby loves to hear your voice and singing to him will also delight him while at the same time enhance his auditory perception and help in his language development. So it doesn’t matter whether you’re in tune or out of it, sing like crazy as you bathe your baby and watch him burst into a fit of giggles.
Engage him to play with bath toys that are not only created as a diversion for your kid during bathing but are also designed to incite your baby’s creativity and imagination. A Baby Einstein Hippo Bath Puppet for example can be used for bath time imaginative plays while keeping him occupied as you get done with your baby cleaning job.
It’s true that every single day of your child’s life holds endless chances for learning. Don’t miss any of these opportunities to help develop your child’s mental capacity especially those that come during daily activities such as bath time.
