How Games Can Enhance Brain Development in Children
03-06-2013 / By:
Brain
development in toddlers happens at a lightning-fast pace with or without your
input, but by offering games and activities to help, you can become an active
participant in your baby's intellectual growth and development. Toddlers don't
need complicated games to learn, though. Simple games that engage and excite
your child will do more to boost his/her brain power than complex, packaged
offerings.
Before a child can learn
successfully, he/she needs to be immersed in an environment conducive to
reaching her/his brain's full potential. This doesn't mean you need to buy her
special items marketed to boost her brainpower, though. It is more important is
that the child has a safe, childproofed space to explore, plenty of stimulating
experiences and a quiet place to retreat when the toddler needs to rest and
recharge. Your job as a parent is to guide your baby and provide the things she
needs for her brain to get to work learning and growing.
Repetition
is the key for laying down neuronal pathways that lead to learning, so engage
your child in simple games that reinforce important ideas and concepts. Games
like patty-cake improve a toddler's motor skills while also providing
easy-to-remember repetitive rules. Games involving music and language also work
to build brain connections and stimulate mental development. You should try to
find games that involve rhyme, rhythm and repetition, such as singing a song
that your child then repeats to you or adds on verses. Games and activities
that let your toddler be creative also help build the brain.
In order to
enhance your child’s learning abilities, offer a variety of fun and creative
activities so that your child does not get bored and gets different types of
brain stimulation. You can use music, art and physical activity to create your
own games based on your child's specific needs and interests. When your child
enjoys the game, he/she will learn more from it, so keep the focus on fun at this
age, not on mastering a particular skill. Likewise, if you want to introduce a
new game to your toddler, don't be disappointed if your child would rather do
something else. Letting your toddler explore on his/her own is better for brain
development that requiring her to play a particular game.