When babies are very small, they like to look at edges, stripes, and patterns. Having some interesting things to look at and explore is important.
- Colorful crib books, bright mobiles and busy boxes, figures on the bedroom walls, and pretty stuffed pillows and animals can all encourage your baby to use his eyes from the very beginning.
- Babies can attend best if they can see a few bright items at one time. You might have a busybox in the playpen, a stuffed animal in the crib, or a colorful mobile over the changing table.
- Babies like to look at new objects; you can introduce a new toy or animal or crib book and take away the old one occasionally.
Toddlers Enjoy Hands-On Art
As toddlers begin to use language, they also begin to enjoy creating: making marks on paper, for example, or squeezing colorful play-dough.
- Art activities are chances for your child to express feelings and to experience making early marks and shapes.
- Art is also another way for you and your toddler to have conversations.
- He may not be drawing or making anything you can recognize, but it won't be long before he wants to tell you what he made.
Setting Up for Artful Play
If you are working in a room, you can cover a high chair tray or play table with shelf or packing paper, put your toddler in it, and hand over a crayon.
- If the crayon goes in the mouth, it is non-toxic.
- But you are there and can draw and scribble with your child for a while.
- Play-dough usually has to be a shared project and you will need an old shower curtain on the floor, but it is a lot of fun!
- Outside, you have sidewalk chalk, or stones to arrange, or leaves and flowers to look at.
- Toddlers are interested in looking, touching and doing in creative ways.
- Your deaf or hard of hearing child will find many opportunities for engaging you in those early conversations that turn into language.
