Tell a tale to calm your baby
Date :
Monday, June 21 2010
Source:
Autourina Mains
While your baby was in utero, he tuned in to the sound of your voice just like he got used to the steady beat of your heart. Within a few days after birth your baby is able to discern your voice among others. Talking to your baby when you are holding her, changing her, feeding her and enjoying wake time with her, helps build her communication skills. We know that before babies are able to speak, they cry. Their crying is a way the baby communicates with you. One cry does not fit all needs either….piercing screams may indicate hunger or pain where as whimpering cries may indicate the need for diapering.
Reading to your baby plays an essential role in his/her language development, but many folks have forgotten about the wonderful art of storytelling. If you begin storytelling to your newborn baby, the baby will get used to you talking to her/him and you will always have a way to calm and entertain your baby. Hearing your voice sooths the baby and makes him/her feel secure and safe.
Stories don’t have to be elaborate at this age…tell your baby about your day and what you did. Talk about what you are thinking or planning for supper. You can practice your presentation, or the upcoming speech you have to give. It does not matter the story as long as you are talking to your baby, you are building language skills. As your infant grows, you can begin short tales like the nursery rhymes for example.
Tell the story of the 3 Billy Goat Gruff and or Goldie Locks or the Little Red Riding Hood. You will be amazed at how your stories will be able to calm your baby. Repetitive storytelling helps your baby pick up what words sound like and how sentences are structure. Benefits of storytelling to your baby include:
- Build baby’s communication and language skills
- Build baby’s listening skills
- Build a strong bond between parent and baby
- Build richer vocabulary
- Some research have shown babies who have been talked to have higher IQ
I have heard parents say “I don’t talk to my baby because I don’t know if he understands anything I am saying.” It is difficult talking to someone who is not responding but keep in mind that your baby is like a sponge and is absorbing everything he/she hears, feels, sees, tastes and experiences. Every moment of every day is an opportunity to teach. Sometimes you are at a place where there are no books to read to your baby, but you can always tell a story.
Storytelling is an important part of many cultures including the Native Americans, the African Americans, the Middle Eastern, and many European cultures. By getting in the habit of telling stories, you can begin the process of handing down an art that is near extinction and telling stories to your baby will make it easier for you to build a lifetime of communication with your child.