Key to learning

Repetition is important to your child’s learning! Repetition strengthens and reinforces neural connections. Think about how important the act of repetition is for you personally when learning something new. To be able to do something well, without a great deal of effort, we need to have practiced it. Therefore, it is fair to say – “practice makes perfect” or “what you put in, you will get back out.”

Your little one often engages in repeating actions, much to your puzzlement. You can watch him put something into a box and take it out over and over again, apparently without purpose. When he makes these repetitive motions or wants to do the same activities repeatedly, there is something within his brain being established. Continue to relish in your little one’s desire to make connections through repetition and make learning fun. As long as the activities you present are not boring and pointless, he will want to practice because he is interested.

At Wiggle Giggle Learn, we purposefully set our learning program up to be repetitious in design, content and flow. We hope the structure leads you to make learning together each day a habit of the mind and not just the body. It takes 21 consecutive days to develop a habit and only 3 days to break one.

Your baby's absorbent mind

Observation is by far the most important prerequisite for developing memory. Failing to observe an event, task or object results in no memory to associate with the event, task or object. Therefore, we must understand that if we are not teaching our little ones to observe, then we are not teaching them to remember.

There are many ways to observe the world around us. Our bodies come complete with five senses that are pivotal in the development of memory. Think about it, how do you use your senses to observe the world and remember events or objects?
Your baby is born with an absorbent mind. Let’s offer her a variety of experiences to absorb and remember new things!

Top ten reasons we should teach our babies

My goal for every child is to be able to grow up with a love for learning. And, for your family to become closer in the process, and for your little one to go on to enjoy a life filled with whatever success she desires.

Here are my top ten reasons to begin teaching our babies:

1. When a baby is young it's the perfect time. Her mind is like a sponge, soaking up new information coming in through every sense. She's ready to absorb whatever you provide!
2. It's fun! Children of all ages learn through play: play that's planned and play that's spontaneous. As a bonus, learning to become a creative parent will allow you to have just as much fun as your children!
3. It's easy. For your infant or toddler, learning is embedded in everything you do with her. When you take a walk together, she learns. When she watches you cook, she begins to understand how things work. By preparing experiences for her, you're steadily defining her world.
4. It builds relationships. What better way to build a positive relationship of trust, respect, and honesty than to teach something new to your little one? Watch her glow as you praise her accomplishments and cherish each moment!
5. It makes sense of the world. The world is massive and chaotic to an infant or toddler. By teaching her how the world around her works, you give your little one ways to understand and organize all the new information coming in each day.
6. It builds self confidence for a lifetime. As you steadily teach her and praise her learning attempts and growth, she'll develop an attitude of "I can!" and "I like me!"
7. It sets your child up for success. By providing background knowledge and experiences while you nurture a love for learning in your little one, you'll give her a foundation on which to build in school and beyond.
8. It prepares the way for smooth transitions. Early learning leads to an easier transition to a stress-free kindergarten or preschool experience. Your child will enter school with the mindset that learning and school are fun!
9. It develops independence and responsibility. Your little one will learn from her very first day that the world is ours to share. She'll understand why we all need to take responsibility for ourselves and what we have in this world, and by the time she reaches kindergarten, she'll be ready to display a healthy independence and responsibility within the classroom setting.
10. It's a critical time. Last but not at all least, a growing body of evidence shows that the first three years of brain growth and development are crucial in defining the mental connections needed for future high-level thinking.