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Awaken your child’s senses!
Toddlers explore the world through their senses. It is important for them to look, listen, touch, taste, smell everything around them. During the holidays, their entire universe (sea, mountains, nature, etc.) turns into a huge playground. Parents, being more available during this period, should not hesitate to take advantage of this new environment. A great opportunity for young children to develop fundamental learning.
Baby on vacation: preparing the ground!
When bringing a baby to the countryside, for example, it is essential to set up a “prepared environment”. That is to say, put within reach the objects that he can catch without danger (blade of grass, pine cones), and delimit a space. Because between 0 and 1 year, this is the period commonly called “oral stage”. Putting everything in their mouths is a real source of pleasure and a means of exploration for toddlers. If your child catches a dangerous object, take it out and explain why. It is necessary to use real words, even if he does not understand, because it is important to nourish babies with real notions.
« It is also necessary to think, upstream, about what will interest the child. This is what Montessori pedagogy advocates, ”explains Marie-Hélène Place. “As Maria Montessori underlined, during the first three years of his life, the child absorbs multiple impressions of the nature that surrounds him. From the age of 3, his mental activity becomes conscious and information can be placed within his reach that will sharpen his interest in recognizing trees and flowers. Thus, his spontaneous love for nature can evolve into a desire to know and understand it. “
Awaken Baby’s Senses at the Sea
According to Marie-Hélène Place, it is better to avoid holidays by the sea with a little one. “For the youngest, there is more to see and touch in the countryside. On the other hand, from the moment the child can sit down on his own, move around, he will be able to fully enjoy the sea and the wonders that surround him. »At the beach, the child’s sensory is very much in demand. It can touch different materials (rough sand, water…). NOTdo not hesitate to draw his attention to different elements of nature to encourage him to discover it in more detail. It also helps improve the child’s concentration. For example, take a beetle or a seashell, show it by name and description.
Awaken baby’s senses in the countryside
Nature is a great playground for children. “Parents can choose a quiet place, sit with their little one and listen to the sounds (water from a stream, a cracking branch, birds singing…), trying to reproduce them and possibly to identify them, ”explains Marie-Hélène Place.
Babies with a developed olfactory power compared to adults, nature is a great place to awaken children’s sense of smell. “Take a flower, a blade of grass and sniff it while inhaling deeply. Then suggest it to your little one and tell them to do the same. It is important to put a word on each sensation. »In general, take the opportunity to take a closer look at nature (observe moving leaves, insects, etc.). “Your child can also hug a tree. You just have to put your arms around the trunk to then smell the bark, the smell of wood and listen to the sounds of the insects. You can also suggest that she lean her cheek gently against the tree and whisper something to her. This will awaken all his senses.
For their part, parents can play transforming certain activities. Start by picking blackberries with your child. Then make them into jams, which you will put in glass jars to draw his attention to the colors. Relate this activity to the picking so that your little one understands the process. Finally, go to the tasting to awaken your taste buds.
Feeding children’s imaginations is important
« It can be interesting to encourage the imagination of the little ones, especially when they begin to be aware of real notions of life, around age 3, ”explains Marie-Hélène Place. During a walk in the forest or on the beach, ask your child to pick up shapes that remind him of something. Then find out together what objects they look like. You may eventually be able to bring back all your little finds (pebbles, shells, flowers, branches, etc.) to the hotel, campsite or home to make collages, and once again appeal to your child’s imagination.