Tuesday's Tidbit: Crawling

When I was in college I remember reading an interesting study done somewhere about teenagers that had problems with math.  They had found out that many of those students who were struggling with math had never crawled as a baby.  They had skipped that step in development and had gone straight to walking.  They taught these teenagers to crawl, did crawling exercises in class, and their math skills improved significantly.   I don't remember the details of the study, but the idea obviously stuck with me and I became VERY excited as each of my children began to crawl.   (Especially my little girl because of all her special therapy that began when she was only 6 weeks old.  Another post for another day.)

Now, I'm not going to say that all non-crawlers will struggle with math.  Neither will I say that all who struggle with math weren't crawlers as a baby (I crawled and am  not good at math at all...I won't mention how many times I repeated math classes.)  But I will say that crawling is a very important part of development.  And Math isn't the only area it seems to affect.  There are many studies that show how it affects the brain development (coordination, memory, etc.), and there are many theories out there including the possiblity that it's a factor in ADHD.

So, basically, don't push walking when your baby is enjoying crawling-this is an important time for your baby's brain to be getting a work-out, but if your baby skips crawling, maybe when he/she is an older child you can think of fun crawling games later in life to get them moving on their hands and knees. 

* And here's a good article if you'd be interested in learning a little more: medcentral.org

Thursday's Thing to Do: Color "I SPY"

Hello Everyone!  I had an idea to share....so I am back to posting...at least once.  :)  Thank you for all of your well wishes...  this pregnancy has been a little rough, but completely worth it.  Only about two more months until our little GIRL arrives.  We are all so THRILLED!!!!!

One of the basics for children to learn is color recognition.  Here's a fun game that's pretty simple, but kids love!!!

Start with basics of Red, Blue, Yellow, Black and White.  Gradually add other colors.  Keep in mind that most kids learn Brown and Gray last.  (If your child is grasping certain colors, but never seems to be able to be able to differentiate between other certain colors on a regular basis, like blue, red, green, etc. over an extended period of time.  Don't get frustrated.  Check with the eye doctor, color blindness is common especially in boys, and isn't a huge concern.)  

Have a color "I SPY" hunt

Here's how it works: Find a red piece of paper, show your child that it's red, say that it's red, have him or her repeat the color name, and have him or her look around your home to find as many other items that are red as they can.  As they get better at colors, you can add variety to this game.  

Variety Examples:

•  If you have multiple children, you can make it into a team game...working together to find as many as they can taking turns.
• Make it into a competition game.  See who can find 5 or 10 items of that color first, or set a timer for one or two minutes and each one finds as many items of that color as they can.  (The tricky part, is they need to be able to count first too...) 
• This can also be used as a "game" while grocery shopping to try to keep their attention on something instead of pulling all the fruit snacks and cookies into the basket, or hitting their sibling....
• Have a box or bag with small pieces of various colors of paper.  One at a time, pull out a random color and  have them look for something of that color.
• Use creativity in mixing this up

***Note:

Tuesday's Tidbit: Handclapping

Did you know that handclapping games....(yes, those same ones we did with our friends on the playground in elementary school)...are SMART.  They actually help children develop and improve important skills.  The combination of rhythm, music, and specialized movements helps improve children's coordination, verbal memory, and handwriting skills.  If you'd like some great tutorials in remembering these songs with actions, or if you would like to learn some new ones, here's a great site filled with handclapping songs that you'll love. 

~Idea from Disney's Family Fun, Sept. 2010, 71