Page 5 - LESSION 10.pmd

Care of Children in Early Years

clean gives a boost to the overall health and well-being of children. Some
everyday habits such as keeping the eyes clean with a wet cloth and gently
wiping children’s eyelids and the corner of their eyes, are essential. Similarly, Notes
the nose, nails and toes should be wiped clean.

10.3 SENSORY STIMULATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Infants use their senses to learn about the world around them. Different senses
work together so that infants and toddlers can explore the environment,
investigate and behave in a typical manner. Research supports the fact that
stimulation helps in brain development by creating neural pathways which
further support learning in later years. Sensory stimulation encourages the
development of motor skills and the ability to solve simple problems using the
five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Activities provided for seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling and tasting should be numerous and repetitive for
proper sensory stimulation in early years. Let us study sensory stimulation in
detail.

10.3.1 Visual

Vision and hearing are the first sensory experiences that activate the neural
pathways in the brain. Research has come up with evidence to indicate that visual
growth develops when children observe colours, shapes and different faces.
Caregivers can help develop their vision by interaction or some visual games
and activities such as keeping the face close to the baby, making facial gestures,
eye contact, playing peek-a-boo etc. In addition, objects and toys of different
shapes and colours help children observe differences initiating simple processes
of observation and analysis.

10.3.2 Auditory

From birth, children find themselves in the world of sounds and noises through
which they absorb the basics of language. Caregivers make baby sounds and talk
with them in a babyish voice. Such a modulated, soft tone conveys warmth and
playfulness. Slowly, the tone is changed to socialize children to be able to converse
in the 'regular' manner. Besides this, children acquire language by exposure to
everyday interactions, instructions and sounds. Auditory inputs can be given in
many ways such as:

• Talking to children for creating strong language base

• Playing music as children thrive with rhythm and beat
• Giving exposure to natural sounds such as those of birds and animals to
widen their sense of sounds and help them connect to the natural habitat

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 5