Birth - 12 months
Your child will grow and learn more in their first 12 months than at any other time of their life. This is a period where they begin to make connections to the world around them and to their emotions. Physical developments can include laughing out loud and assisted walking. From four months on babies sleep less during the day and the majority of babies will start to sleep through the night by 6–8 months.
Some weeks you may see amazing changes and some weeks none. Don’t worry; you’ll no doubt soon see progress again. Remember that if your child has additional needs, they may take longer to achieve certain milestones.
Some weeks you may see amazing changes and some weeks none. Don’t worry; you’ll no doubt soon see progress again. Remember that if your child has additional needs, they may take longer to achieve certain milestones.
your child's learning
You play a crucial role in your baby’s learning by developing a loving and secure relationship with them, encouraging them to use all their skills to explore the world around them and by encouraging their curiosity.
You can support your baby’s learning by:
You can support your baby’s learning by:
- playing together
- talking and responding when your baby makes sounds or tells you in other ways what he or she wants
- meeting needs and having lots of loving contact
- responding to your baby’s movements and sounds
- providing different objects and materials to explore using all the senses
- getting to know your baby, noticing and responding to what he or she likes.
play-based learning
Play, an important way for young children to learn, begins at birth. Playing together is one of the best things you can do with your baby. Through play, babies learn about themselves and their place in the world, develop and practise social and language skills, expand their physical skills and think creatively.
Here are some suggestions for ways you can play with your baby:
Here are some suggestions for ways you can play with your baby:
- sing songs
- have ‘conversations’ where you respond to sounds your baby makes by saying something then waiting for your baby to make another sound
- look at books together
- play simple games like peek-a-boo and ‘this little piggy went to market’
- give your baby things to hold and play with (make sure they are safe for them to put in their mouth, as that’s one way babies explore objects).