Development | Intellidance

Building Towers Helps Toddlers Learn Self Control and Other Crucial Developmental Skills

One of my 1.5 year old son’s favorite activities is playing with his Melissa & Doug Nesting and Stacking blocks. Anything that he can pile up, and then knock over is guaranteed to catch his interest! Although the knocking down part is by far the highlight; he is getting better at helping to stack them up and even put them away.

These blocks, or any toy that can be stacked, are great developmental tools for toddlers. Physically, stacking blocks helps to develop hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills. Cognitively, stacking objects enriches a child’s problem solving skills, creativity, as well as self-control.

Sensory Activities for Children Ages 0-2

Babies are born prepared to experience their world around them. Our babies can hear their mothers’ hearts beating, their fathers’ voices, or the music on the radio. After being born, they mouth, chew, and nibble on objects as there are more nerve-ending in their mouth than any other place on their body. Toddlers learn about their foods by mashing, pouring, or squishing it through their fingers, which support their understanding of texture. They intensely look at highly contrasting colours in a painting or book. By using their senses, our little ones are familiarizing themselves with their world and comforting themselves. All of this comes naturally to them!

Our children’s brains develop because of these sensory experiences. Therefore, we want to support them by providing them with opportunities to activity use their senses. Below are a number of ways you can encourage your baby's/toddler's sensory development.

Play Eclectic Music

I like to think we listen to an eclectic range of music in our home. But, I was recently surprised when Eleanor went nuts rocking out to “Cut Me Some Slack,” performed by Paul McCartney and Nirvana at the 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy benefit. Now, we’ve started listening to more alternative music.

Bake/Cook with your Baby

Since I’m at home with Eleanor all day, I spend a lot of my time cooking with her. We turn many meals into an experience where I allow her to feel, smell and taste the ingredients.

DIY Sensory I Spy Bottles for Kids

I Spy was one of my favorite "quiet" games when I was a child. It was the perfect anytime, anywhere game. I remember playing it our living room, in the backyard, in the car, at the playground, EVERYWHERE! My brother and I would always try to find new ways of making the game more and more challenging the older we got. No matter where we traveled our eyes could always find something new and exciting to spy.

When I started my teaching career I remember finding a the Find It! game at a teacher's supply store. It was a large clear bottle full of colorful beads and many small treasures hidden inside. The bottle came with a card that showed a picture of all the treasures that were hidden inside. I desperately wanted one of these bottles for my pre-kindergarten class but as a first year teacher with limited budget for my inner city classroom I just could not justify spending $50 on one game (no matter how awesome I thought it was). Now you can pruchase these games for about half the price but if you are crafty and frugral like me you can make your own for much less!

Sensory Balloons: Sensory Play Craft for Babies and Toddlers

During the last Intellidance Babies class of every session, we have a sensory day. There are finger paints, a ball pit, a sensory blanket, musical instruments, and an assortment of other sensory-related materials. As my fall session was coming to an end, I wanted to start to prepare for our sensory day. I thought it would be novel for the babies to have something they could hold in their hands that felt different. It needed to be about the same size as an egg shaker since that’s about all they can hold in their hands, and the sensory objects inside it needed to be protected from tiny mouths.

Eleanor and I decided to create sensory balloons. Now, I know that a balloon doesn’t exactly sound like the safest object to be giving a baby, but they aren’t inflated, so they can’t pop. And, they are also being supervised by their caregivers, so there is little risk of the babies injuring themselves. That being said, I would never leave a baby alone with one of these sensory balloons! Here’s how we went about creating them:

How to pick gifts for children ages 0-3

Toys, toys, toys! During the holiday season parents are surrounded by thousands of options that can quickly make giving the gift of play overwhelming. Understanding your child’s developmental stage can help you focus your search on toys that your child will not only enjoy, but will also support their continued growth.

0-6 months:

During the first six months of life babies are working on pre-locomotor development: vision and spine development, and hand-eye coordination. Simple toys that can be enjoyed by grasping, mouthing, and observing are most beneficial for young babies.

Pomegranate Fun: A Fine Motor Snack for Toddlers

Looking for a finger food for your little one that is both tasty and nutritious? Pomegranates are a great alternative to common snacks, such as Cheerios, that caregivers often place in front of their babies at mealtime. Not only are they delicious, they also have many nutritional and developmental benefits.

“Pom poms”, as my 12 month old son refers to them as, are often labeled as a superfood. They are jam packed with vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber. Pomegranates are also a great source of antioxidants which are responsible for protecting the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.

Sleep Matters: Interview with Sleep Haven

When my husband and I became first time parents the thing I remember us saying over and over again was how tired we were. Actually, utterly exhausted would have been more accurate. It's not like people hadn't warned us. We had read many books, visited hundreds of websites, and done prenatal classes that all made it very clear: we would be experiencing sleep deprivation. But nothing could have prepared us for the reality of how challenging lack of sleep coupled with the anxiety of figuring out how to care for our new daughter would be.

What Does Peace Feel Like Through the Eyes of Your Child

With November upon us, everyone is thinking about Remembrance Day and those who have given their lives so we may have our freedom. Often, I’ve found it difficult to explain Remembrance Day to the young students I’ve taught. For them, they haven’t seen the daily effects that wars have on families, homes, and countries. They are so far removed from World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War that it’s difficult for them to make a connection. I have found that teaching our children about peace has been a very effective tool as they can apply it to their everyday lives. Peace in the classroom, on the playground, and in their homes.

The Benefits of Using Sign Language with Your Child

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going swimming.”

“Is Grandma coming?”

“No, Grandma’s at home.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Do you want a snack?”

“Yes, please.”

This is the type of conversation I have with my daughter, Eleanor, who will be seventeen months old next week. From birth, she has been learning American Sign Language (ASL), and it has opened up a whole new world of communication for us and our family.

Touch and your Child's Development

When a baby is born, more often than not, doctors will immediately place the infant on the mother’s chest. These first moments of skin-to-skin contact between mother and child begin to nurture the infant’s emotional, physical and cognitive development, while strengthening the infant-caregiver bond.

Touch can be a very powerful parenting tool, especially during the newborn stage. When babies cry, they release a stress hormone, cortisol, which slows brain growth and development. Newborn babies who are held often cry less (thus releasing less cortisol) and sleep more. This relaxed state facilitates early brain development.