Intellectual Development means being able to communicate, to think both creatively and abstractly, to pay attention, solve problems, and develop keen judgment and a lifelong readiness to learn.

Comfort Through the comfort and responsiveness of an adult, babies will learn how to handle their emotions and how to seek help when needed. Parents Can: Encourage their baby to repeat a "performance" by laughing and clapping Child Will: Enjoy the sense of approval received from you Repeat or continue a specific action if she sees a positive reaction, such as, laughter Parents Can: Spend time looking at family photos with their baby and describe who and what is in the pictures Child Will: Enjoy the close, one-on-one time spent with you looking at pictures Learn to recognize familiar people and pets Point to familiar people Parents Can: Provide a variety of containers for their baby during bath time Child Will: Obtain sensory pleasure and relaxation from water play Practice pouring water in and out of containers, which helps motor coordination and control, and problem-solving skills

Play Through opportunities for play, babies will experience joyful, free, spontaneous moments of fun while learning about themselves and others. Parents Can: Attach a toy by a string to their baby's highchair Child Will: Enjoy throwing a toy off his highchair tray Begin to look for objects that drop to the floor Learn to retrieve dropped objects by pulling on the string Parents Can: Show their baby a favourite toy and partially hide it under a scarf Completely hide an object under a container while their baby is watching Child Will: Need opportunities to watch how objects disappear and appear Practice searching for hidden objects Parents Can: Provide a variety of blocks to stack, knock over and rebuild, and balls to roll Child Will: Have an opportunity to explore objects as they move in space Learn to anticipate cause and effect, for example, a tower can be knocked over and make a noise Learn that he is the cause of making things happen, for example, building and rolling an object away

Teach Through routines and emotionally and physically safe and secure environments, babies can learn how to think, solve problems and communicate. Parents Can: Provide a variety of interesting objects and boxes or containers for their baby to explore (for example, film canisters, balls, dish scrubbies, pots and lids) Child Will: Explore the objects and begin to have an understanding of functions, and dimensions (such as, size and shape; relations in space - in/out, on/off) Learn that she has the power to make things change Parents Can: Play games that require simple imitation of actions, for example, clapping, shaking a toy or blowing a kiss Child Will: Learn to watch and reproduce an action Learn that he can influence an adult if the adult follows his lead Parents Can: Encourage their baby to make music and dance with shakers, pots and pans Child Will: Enjoy making noise and hearing rhythms Enjoy moving her body to different musical rhythms

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