While we were at the Botanical Gardens the other day, watching the bug show, children were moving closer to the stage area and then back to their parents. My daughter did the same. She finally decided to sit on one of the amphitheater steps. Two brothers sat next to her. Both were very fair, with very fair hair. My daughter has very dark hair. Quite a contrast! And the littlest of the brothers, probably 18-24 months old, noticed. He was so intrigued, he reached out to touch her hair. I was proud of her for not saying anything, since he was little. And I know she wondered what he was doing. I didn’t tell her she used to do the same thing, although usually with us assisting.  Like the time she stared and stared at the first beard she saw. We asked if she could feel his beard, and our friend was tickled and happy to oblige her.

Little children are intrigued by things that look interesting. To them, different is often interesting. And because they learn through all of their senses, touching tells them even more about what they’re seeing.

I used to take my daughter’s hand, when she was younger than a year old, and help her touch the things she stared at. Frequently, it was something with an interesting texture.

Then take it further, and give children the words to describe what they’re touching. “Isn’t this a neat rock wall? Look at the different colors we see - gray, tan, white. And feel how rough the stones are. They feel cold too, don’t they?”

Rather than limiting their exploration, support it. Help them explore safely, and provide the language to build those brain connections.

Does the baby you’re holding talk to you? You might not hear it, especially if they are very young. Yet watch the baby’s face, and you’ll see her talk.

We just can’t help ourselves. We have to talk to babies. And they will take part in a conversation if you pause to let them. Their mouth will move. They may move their head. Their eyes will show a new expression.

Now it’s your turn. Act like you heard them. Perhaps ‘repeat’ some part of what they asked or told you. Then reply.

Your conversation may start something like this:

“How are you today?”

“Really? Did you sleep well?”

“Oh good. I slept well too. What do you think we should do today?”

“Going for a walk sounds fun. I hope the weather stays sunny.”

In the InBrief summary titled InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development, from scientific presentations at the National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy, researchers state that the absence of such interaction affects the brain’s architecture and can lead to disparities in learning and behavior.  http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu/content/publications.html#inbrief

Yet you’ll be having conversations and naturally teaching that precious baby that you value them and want to interact with them. If it’s an older infant, perhaps adopted or in your foster care, you’ll be promoting the bonding process. For all children, you’re modeling taking turns in conversation, facial expressions, sentence structure, and new vocabulary. All things that will enhance brain development.