Introducing Puzzles to Babies (6-12 months)

 

At what age can you introduce puzzles to your baby? 

 While even simple puzzles have generally been deemed as an activity for the toddler and preschooler domain, there are lots of great options nowadays that can bring the benefits of puzzles down to babies under a year old. 

When is my baby ready? What are some good things to look for to see if your baby is ready for puzzles? For starters, if your baby:

1. Picks up small objects with one hand
2. Puts things inside containers
3. Manipulates objects, such as trying to open containers, cabinets, or locks

He will probably be able to handle simple puzzles. Most babies are able to do these things well before their first birthdays.

How to Introduce Puzzles to Babies

1. Get the Right Puzzles

Find some good "inset" puzzles, the kind where puzzle pieces fit inside cut-out spaces in a board.

Try and find some puzzles with as many of the following characteristics as possible:

• Have large, easy to grasp knobs
• Have only a few pieces, 1-3 is best to start
• Have a little wiggle room and are easy to put in
• Have simple shapes (circles are the easiest)
• Have matching pictures under the pieces

A few "ok" options:

 Some of our personal favorites include this 3-piece jumbo shapes puzzle previously available from Melissa & Doug, and this set of Garanimals puzzles (which Damien is pictured playing with) from Wal-mart (available as a 3-pack in the baby section for $6). It would really be ideal to find some "perfect" starter puzzles, such as a one-piece puzzle with a circle shape, but so far I haven't been able to find any. Have you?

2. Put Puzzles in Baby's Play Area

I have had puzzles out in Damien's play area for a while. He has mostly enjoyed dumping them out, banging them together, mouthing them, and doing all of his other dozens of "scientific experiments" with them.

In the process, however, he was able to truly learn about their shape, texture, color, length, diameter, weight, thickness, curve of the edges, sound they make, balance, and many, many more characteristics babies are discovering in their play.

3. Play Clean Up

After letting baby play with the pieces, teach him to put them away.

I believe that if a baby is old enough to dump toys out, he is old enough to put them away. So as with other clean up activities, guide his hand in putting the puzzle pieces in the correct place and then putting the puzzle away on the shelf. He will get a feel for where they go and how they fit and will very quickly attempt to do this on his own during playtime.

4. Scaffolding - Play Puzzles with Your Baby!

"Scaffolding" essentially means giving your baby as much help as he needs to advance to the next level of skill, but not more help than he needs.

For introducing puzzles to baby, it might first mean guiding his hand in placing the pieces in the correct spot (as in the "clean up" activity above).

The second step might mean putting the puzzle piece almost in the right spot, then guiding him, "Put the puzzle piece in" and letting him "do the rest", essentially only moving the piece a little before it falls into place.

The third step might mean giving your baby a puzzle piece, making sure it is oriented correctly (not upside down or sideways) and pointing out the correct spot while encouraging him to put the piece in.

And so the game would continue, with each time giving your baby only much help as you feel like he needs to succeed, then stepping back and watching him figure out the rest on his own.

Damien is currently somewhere in between the second and third step mentioned above. We have only recently started playing with puzzles more often, and he really seems to enjoy it. His focus while trying to put the pieces in is intense!

Puzzles can be a great addition to your baby's playtime. Always remember when playing with your baby to keep in mind the principles of teaching tiny children - specifically to keep it brief, fun, and stop before he wants to stop.

P.S. I would love to hear about your experiences of introducing puzzles to your baby or toddler, as well as any recommended beginner puzzles you have found!

"He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left..."

2 Chronicles 4:8

Damien is 10 months, 2 weeks old

Seven Month Old Developmental Check-In (Stage III, Midbrain and Subcortical Areas)

Damien, the day he turned seven months old

Early last June, sitting in a hospital bed holding my tiny newborn, all wrinkled, blotchy-skinned, and helpless, it was hard to fathom that in just a little over 200 days he would be creeping [crawling], standing, "talking", understanding, and charming at the level he is now.

Seven months passes by in the blink of an eye.

Seven months is also another benchmark age on the Developmental Profile for the average age for babies to achieve stage III brain function (using the midbrain and subcortical areas).

In speaking of the profile, the IAHP says

"The time schedule is highly variable and depends, not upon genetic factors, but rather upon the frequency, intensity and duration of the stimuli provided to the brain by the child's environment, which is notably and most often his family."

The idea is that the brain grows by use, not by some biological alarm clock. Opportunity, frequency, encouragement, and to a lesser decree, personality will determine development. Our goal is, of course, to give our baby as much of these things as possible and do all we can to help him, not hinder him.

Damien, 5 months, pauses his creeping adventures for a smile

1. Stage III Mobility: Creeping on hands and knees, culminating in cross pattern creeping

Age achieved: 5 months, 2 weeks old

Description: "Creeping" is what most of us know as "crawling" - that cute little hands and knees movement that typifies the picture of babyhood. "Cross pattern creeping" refers to the cross pattern exhibited when a baby uses his opposite extremities simultaneously to move while on his hands and knees - right arm and left leg go forward, then left arm and right leg go forward.

Damien achieved the official "cross pattern creeping" at five months old. He has been "crawling" in other formations - more or less scooting, hopping, lunging, twisting, and rolling - since four months. He has had movement on his stomach (pushing his legs off the ground and propelling himself forward) since birth.

His most current interest is pulling himself to standing, which he does essentially all day, every day, creeping around the house finding different pieces of furniture that can act as a support frame for his vertical position.

Damien, at four months, babbling on

2. Stage III Language: Creation of meaningful sounds

Age achieved: 1-2 months

Description: "Creation of meaningful sounds" is when the baby essentially begins to make noises, beyond a basic cry, that have meaning attached to them. He begins to be able to communicate not only his needs, but his wants, moods, feelings, and preferences. These are not necessarily first English words, but words for him nonetheless.

Damien began creating meaningful sound at about 1-2 months old. He began to coo when he was happy, "yell" when he wanted attention, and whine when he was tired.

At four months, Damien said his first English word - "dada". He still attaches meaning to that word and says it when he sees pictures of his dad. His second English word, "more" (which comes out more like "muh" or "mah") began the day he turned seven months old. Ever since then, he creeps up to me and says "muh" when he wants food, or while we are eating and he wants another bite. (So he has achieved stage IV language development, "Two words of speech used spontaneously and meaningfully", an average 12 month milestone).

Damien, at six months, practicing using the prehensile grasp with small objects

3. Stage III Manual: Prehensile grasp

Age achieved: 3 months

Description: The "prehensile grasp" is when a baby is able to voluntarily pick up objects using his whole hand. The four fingers and palm are mainly used, while the thumb is usually not.

Damien achieved the prehensile grasp at around at the end of his third month. The first object that he was able to easily grab and pick up were some of Hunter's nerf gun bullets. He is now working on the pincer grasp (picking up objects with thumb and forefinger) and has nearly mastered it (an average 12 month milestone).

Damien, at two months, had grown tired of his detail board and was looking around the room for new things

4. Stage III Visual Competence: Appreciation of detail within a configuration

Age achieved: 1.5 months old

Description: At birth, babies can see only light and dark. Soon after, babies begin to see outlines. The next step is being able to see "detail within a configuration", for example the details of mother's face within the outline of her head.

Damien achieved this stage of development at approximately 4-5 weeks of age. He began to smile in response to facial expressions (without sound). He began to study detail on his daddy's camouflage uniform, or the patterns on his bouncy seat. By two months, he was studying details from across the room.

By 5-6 months, he had achieved the next stage (level IV) of development: depth perception. At seven months now his depth perception is quite good - he creeps quickly and easily without running into things much anymore, and reaches well with good accuracy.

Damien, seven months, quite happy with himself that he is no longer afraid of the vacuum

5. Stage III Auditory Competence: Appreciation of meaningful sounds

Age achieved: 2 months

Description: Baby listens to many sounds in his environment from birth, and will soon begin to understand their meaning. For example, the bathtub water running, the door opening, and mother's voice. In family members' voices, he begins to understand the tone of voice and their meanings.

Damien began to be comforted by a soothing voice at around two months old. He started laughing at silliness, and being scared by upset voices. He was deathly afraid of the vacuum for a while, now he seems to have proudly conquered his fear.

Between one and four months, he also achieve the next stage (level IV) of development: "Understanding of two words of speech". At four weeks he began to understand the meaning of the word "nurse". Other words soon followed, including "potty" (and other words associated with it) and "up". 

Damien at two months, laughing with a tickle

6. Stage III Tactile Competence: Appreciation of gnostic sensation

Age achieved: 2 months

Description: "Gnostic" comes from the Greek root word for knowledge, "gnosis". Gnostic sensation means, literally, "knowing sensation". At birth babies cannot feel very well - they may not respond consistently to pain, hot, or cold. Soon they begin to respond to these more intense sensations quickly and instantly. The next stage is to be able to respond to more variances in sensation and be able to appreciate them - for example, the subtleties of cool and warm, the peaceful calm of a soothing massage, or the humor of a boisterous tickle.

Damien achieved this stage at about 2 months old. He began to respond to tickles, enjoy his infant massages, and notice the differences in textures and what made him comfortable or uncomfortable. At four months, he achieved stage IV, "Tactile understanding of the third dimension in objects which appear to be flat". This is when he started to notice small things (like specks on the floor), or things that clearly looked flat (like a piece of paper) and started feeling for them and trying to grab them.

Summary

So in summary, this is what my notes on Damien's little Developmental Profile look like (in the back of my How Smart is Your Baby book) for him at seven months, one day old:

Motor:

 Sensory:

He is still perfecting his stage IV (green) areas, but overall is doing very well. Environment really does make such a huge difference!

Thank you for your comments!

Damien is 7 months, 0 week old

Baby Writer on the Move

Damien's masterpiece is done and he is on the move again.


with How to Teach Your Baby to Write

Damien is 6 months, 2 weeks old

Hunter Learning How to Blow a Bubble

Have you ever tried to explain to a little kid how to blow a bubble with bubble gum?

Hunter has been asking me for the longest time, with intense fascination and curiosity, how to blow bubbles. It is not exactly the easiest thing to show and/or explain to someone how to do.

(Especially when that person is three years old, which is when he started asking me).

Yet finally, randomly the other day he sort of just figured it out.

Here are some of his first (semi-successful) attempts.

Whether learning how to blow bubbles with bubble gum or solve cube roots, it is definitely not all serious business in this house.

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning..." 

Proverbs 1:5

Hunter is 5 years, 10 months old

Our Adventures with Baby Sign Language

Hunter at 14 months, signing "please" and "ball" while simultaneous verbalizing "ball"

I look back and our journey with baby sign language with great fondness and appreciation.

It was long before we heard about Doman, or many of the other early learning topics I now am familiar with, but it nonetheless found its way into our lives in an unexpected way and I now can't imagine how his early toddlerhood would have been without it.

Before Hunter was born and during his early infancy, I had never heard of the concept as this was back in 2005 and in the very beginning of the "trend". When Hunter was four months old, with my mom's prompting I ordered the book Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk from a catalog.

How thrilled I was for the exciting possibilities!

At five months I started teaching him some sign language. I don't remember how many signs I tried to teach him in the beginning, but at seven months I was ecstatic when he finally reproduced his first sign: more.

Thereafter, he discovered the power of this type of communication and began using the sign "more" for pretty much everything. It seemed like the sign evolved to mean "I want" more than its actual definition.

Perhaps because of the versatility of this sign, he didn't mimic any more signs for what seemed like an eternity. Until finally, at eleven months old, he had some sort of signing breakthrough.

Within a month, he learned to sign "all done," "eat," "drink," "hot," "up," (his was slightly different) and "night night."

At twelve months he learned the ever-popular "please," followed by "hair brush", "phone", "toothbrush," and "hat".

By thirteen and fourteen months he learned "down," "come," "thank you," "water," "book," and "bath," followed by "milk," "dog," "ball," "outside," and "Cheerios" (which he made up - would pinch his thumb and forefinger together).

And then, it seemed like just as soon as our signing adventure had begun, it was over.

At fifteen months he began talking a great deal - within that month he learned to say almost two dozen words, whereas before he could only say a handful. He still used sign language, and that month picked up the new signs of "yes", "car", and, some things I never got a chance to get a picture of - "no", "hair", "listen", "headphones", and "iPod" (yes, he made up the sign for iPod too - it involved him sticking his forefinger and thumb in both ears as if he were putting in earbuds).

Then, the next month, he started really talking. In fact, even to a mother who had religiously written down every single possible milestone since he was born, from "first visit to the mall" to "first bandaid" to, well, pretty much everything, he had me beaten. He was learning to say new words at a rate that even I couldn't keep up with, and things just set off from there.

And that was about it.

For a long time he continued to often use his signs along with the spoken words, as you can see in the above video of him signing and saying "ball" and "please". In fact, certain signs, such as please, stuck with him until he was probably two and a half - he would always rub his stomach while saying "please"! But from that point on, he didn't really learn any new signs, simply because he could pretty much say everything verbally, and preferred communicating that way. And in spite of my intention to keep them in our life (as sort of a foreign language experience), they ended up falling by the wayside and fading into the past.

I was definitely surprised, and a little bit saddened, when it ended so soon. I had so many signs that I wanted to teach him, and it was all so much fun! But the experience definitely enriched our lives, and as I said, I couldn't imagine his early toddlerhood without it.

Giving him the tools to communicate without whining was so incredibly priceless. He could say if he wanted up or down, if he was thirsty, if he was tired, if he wanted to go outside, even talk to me about what he saw or wanted, such as a ball or the dog. It's so hard to imagine how this period of life would have gone without him having these tools, and thankfully I don't have to.

And even though it was hard to see it go, it served its purpose, and that's what counts.

Looking beyond the temporary benefits of tools of communication, another thing I am thankful for is the benefit it served him for the rest of his lifetime. As this study showed,

Results of the study revealed that 24-month-old babies using baby sign language were on average talking more like 27- or 28-month-olds, representing more than a three-month advantage over the non-signers. The babies using baby sign language were also putting together significantly longer sentences. In addition, 36-month-old signers on average were talking like 47-month-olds, putting them almost a full year ahead of their average age mates. At 8 years, those who had used sign language as babies scored an average of 12 points higher in IQ on the WISC-III than their non-signing peers.

That is another reason I look so fondly on it, as it was one of our first "early learning" endeavors. And I know that even just in that short time period, it gave him a boost for the rest of his life.

It was definitely a fun adventure.

It didn't always go as expected. It ended a lot sooner than I thought it would. He started talking a lot earlier than I was prepared for. He surprised me by making up his own signs, or by his funny interpretations of the signs I taught him. He never did sign a lot of words I taught him for months, such as "mom" or "help." He even did something I never anticipated, and started signing in two- and three-word sentences, such as "drink water please".

But all in all, isn't that how all parenting tends to go? Not exactly how we expected?

I'm very thankful to have had this wonderful chance to learn together with my baby. And I can't wait to start with the next one!

"And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand..." 

Exodus 13:9

What about you? What was your experience with baby signs?

Cursive Beginnings

 

Hunter has recently decided that he wants to learn how to write in cursive.

The above picture is of a free-hand lowercase alphabet he decided to make for me the other day.

I was printing out a cursive handwriting guide, something I was possibly considering teaching this fall and wanted to get him excited about it now, and he managed to smear water all over the first copy whilst helping me with the printing. Gotta love little kids help sometimes.

Feeling remorseful about destroying it, he decided that he would just "make me a new one" and proceeded to spend the next hour-ish meticulously copying the lowercase cursive alphabet onto a blank piece of paper. First in pencil, then in ink.

It was a sweet gesture, really.

Since then we have gone back to it a couple of times and he has learned to write his first name, and has been practicing (a little) the first few letters of the lowercase alphabet. No rush of course and, he thinks it's really cool. A "secret code", if you will.

Sounds good to me.

Cursive Handwriting Printable

"All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern."

1 Chronicles 28:19

Hunter is 5 years, 3 months old

It's a river

"That's a river." Hunter told me today while he was tracing in his new book that Brandon got him today at Borders.

"Oh really?" I said, amused by his imagination. It was a sort of "practice page" in this write-on/wipe-off tracing book with different patterns of lines to trace over. He has been playing with it all day and has been having a lot of fun with it.

There were more lines on the page, and I decided to ask him what he thought the other ones looked like.

"What is this one?"

"I think that's where the trains go." (Perhaps it resembles his train tracks? I really have no clue...)

"Oh yeah, and what is this one?"

"I think that is a road where cars drive."

"What about this one?"

"Um, that is an upside down river."

He thought about it for a minute, then said, "No wait, maybe that's where helicopters land."

"Oh yeah?" I laughed. Don't know where that one came from.

"Maybe. I said maybe." He replied.

Next we came to the above zig-zag pattern.

"Um, that's a kind of black thing I'm makin'." (?)

He thinks it over for a minute, then tells me, "No, never mind. That's V's. The V's are upside down."

"All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern."  

1 Chronicles 28:19

Hunter is 4 years, 7 months old

Cutting Strips

Hunter has found a few of his cutting strips and has been doing them for fun. I made them quite a while ago after getting the idea from a Montessori site, and I happened to throw some of them in the suitcase when we moved.

He never really had all that much of an interest in them before, but he suddenly decided to carefully cut out a great many of them. There are a variety of designs (produced with simple Microsoft Word autoshapes and lines) including zig-zags, triangles, pentagons, swirls, and simpler ones like plain lines for younger kids.

I have continually been pleasantly surprised with how his small motor skills have developed in the past year. It's funny how kids will surprise you by learning something on their own, when they discover the need or desire.

"And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires..." 

Exodus 39:3

Hunter is 4 years, 7 months old

Tying My Own Shoes

Hunter finally learned how to tie his shoes all by himself. Finally.

I say finally because this is one of those things that we have been "working on" (or, er, intending to "work" on at least) for about two years now. Yes, I said years.

Now, obviously, when he was two I didn't really expect him to tie his shoes. Not that it's impossible for a two-year-old to have that kind of small motor skills. Just that, well, he didn't.

But when he was about two I started talking about the process and showing him while I tied his shoes. "Pull the laces up, cross it over like this, then through the hole..." Not that I did that every time I tied his shoes (you're just in a hurry or distracted sometimes, you know?) but "tie own shoes" has been on my little skills checklist for quite a while now.

So, it's really nice that he can do it all on his own now. It might just have to do with the fact that we've actually been working on it since we moved. Like focused, consistent teaching (which is a quality I can't always boast). And let me tell you, it is so nice being able to just tell him, get your shoes on. He has been able to do pretty much every other dressing task for a while now (buttons, zippers, coat, belt, etc.) But he's finally an all-the-way "big boy" in the dressing department. And he is very proud of it (as you can see by his little smirk at the end of the video).

"And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses."

Exodus 39:31

Hunter is 4 years, 7 months old

Road to Imagination...

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress... the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

Psalm 18:2

Hunter is 4 years, 5 months old

Fun at the Arcade

Tonight was Brandon's last night before he has to go back to California. We went to a pizza place and played the arcade. Hunter did really good at the Nickelodeon racing game (partially because you can't fall off the edges in this one) and played a shooting game, too.

He loves the shooting games, of course. They weren't too graphic which is always a plus. He doesn't usually get to play games like this so this was a fun little evening for him.

We are going to both miss Brandon a lot while we wait for housing (still don't have any idea how long it will take) but we are excited and know that we will be seeing him again soon.

"And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark."

1 Samuel 20:20

Hunter is 4 years, 5 months old

Bahrain

Hunter's letter to Brandon:

Brandon, I colored this flag
of Bahrain for you. It looks like
the flag of Qatar. I colored a map
too. The sand is yellow. I am glad
you are home now. Love, Hunter

Bahrain is a little island of the coast of Saudi Arabia. While we were printing out geography coloring pages for the next two years (flags and maps) we printed out this of Bahrain, too, where Brandon was for about a year and a half. We have been learning about it and reading about it. He was very careful to color the map a brownish-yellow, because "there's sand there". When we were finding the flag of Bahrain on his geography wall, he was careful to point out that it looked a lot like the flag of Qatar.

He did really good at coloring, he was especially careful with the map, with all the little crevices around the islands. It's so fun now that he's old enough to write letters, is getting better at talking on the phone, etc. It'll really be an asset for staying in touch with friends and family, even from the other side of the country.

"For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven"

Job 28:24

Hunter is 4 years, 4 months old

Mud

Hunter and Anthony had a fun little encounter with nature today - in the mud.

They were playing in the backyard and wandered back by the garden area, and when I went back to check on them they had both been dabbling their fingers in a bucket full of mud!

My first reaction was to say, Hey, get out of there. But, for just a moment I saw life through the eyes of a little kid. I remembered all the many hours my sisters and I used to spend making mud pies near the laundry drain outside the kitchen window. I remembered the feeling of mud between my toes walking down by the creek near by the nursing home, and the same sensation walking through our freshly plowed urban garden every spring. I remembered the mud fight we had in sixth grade, and the muddy pond we waded through at church camp, and...

Well, I think you get the point.

Nonetheless, I looked at them, smiled, and said, "Go on, dig in!" They got the most satisfied smile on their faces and then, cautiously at first, started kneading through a bucket of dirt and water that had been left out last fall.

Let's just say they really enjoyed it.

"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings."

Psalm 40:2

Hunter is 4 years, 1 month old
Anthony is 2 years, 5 month old

Look Out!

There's a new driver on the road!

No, not really, there are many things that I will be teaching him "early", but that is one thing that he will not be learning for a while.

But he DID have a blast today driving on a "real" road (gravel) almost all by himself. For a whole 20 feet. He was thrilled, to say the least.

"He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."

Proverbs 2:8

Hunter is 4 years, 0 months old

Realistic Animal Coloring Pages

I found these neat coloring pages from National Geographic Kids. I liked them because they are realistic rather than the cheap cartoons that most other stuff for kids is like. They had quite a selection of animals as well as a few facts about each one. I printed out lowland gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees for next week as we'll be learning primate bits. Enjoy!

National Geographic Coloring Pages

"For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine."

Psalm 50:10-11

Building Cities...

Hunter has had this recent obsession with building elaborate, detailed cities with his blocks. Whereas before he would usually only build small individual towers or other structures, now he likes to make use of every block in the box and build a little city for his toy people. Future architect? Who knows, but he sure is teaching himself a lot as he uses his imagination and math and science skills to design and construct these mini masterpieces.

"...and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch."

Genesis 4:17

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old

Writing Letters

Hunter did a great job making a birthday card for Grace today. I was pleasantly surprised when he tackled the "p's" and "b's" and such, he has been shying away from rounded letters because he thinks he can't do it (even though I keep encouraging him that he can).

But today he made a birthday card for Grace and did awesome with all of his letters! Okay, so it's not perfect or anything, but he tried! And as you can see, the "Happy" was his most careful word, then when he got to "Birthday" and signing his name he was getting a little bit tired of it. So, just seeing how well he did that first word, when he was the most interested and the most enthusiastic, was great motivation for me to keep playing the writing game (in little spurts, of course) so that he can become more confident in his own abilities, because he really CAN write when he wants to and is very good at it, too.

"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare."

Psalm75:1

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old

Lacing Cards

Today we got out some old lacing cards of my mom's because I've really been wanting to work with Hunter on his small motor control. He so desperately wants to write and draw but gets frustrated because his hand control isn't very good and things don't turn out the way he wants.

So we're going to be working on cutting strips, lacing cards, tracing, mazes, puzzles, anything we can get our hands on that will develop his small motor control. We're also going to be spending a lot more time in the kitchen because I know helping cook is a great way to build a whole assortment of fine motor skills.

He really enjoyed the lacing cards, though, and good grief, as soon as he finished lacing the hammer and saw piece he started flinging them around going "bang, bang, bang". He's such a boy.



"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ... Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet"

Psalm 8:3-4,6

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old

Little Scientist

Hunter was playing with Duplos today and sure was figuring out a lot of stuff.

I had helped him create a two-sided stairs (see picture) but it wasn't staying together all that well and whenever he put one of his toys on it it fell apart.

So, on his own, he constructed a pillar and attached it to the middle of the stairs, creating a perfect support. The edges were still a little shaky though, so he made two more pillars and placed them on both sides of the original.

I know it's not rocket science, but I love watching him figure this stuff out. Figuring out why one structure stands and one structure falls. Figuring how tall you can make a tower of Duplos before it bends too far and goes tumbling to the ground. Figuring out why some things hook together and others don't fit. It's not like it's even possible to categorize everything he figures out by building, by trial and error, but it sure is fun to watch him. Kids learn through play but also think that learning is play (like learning the Greek alphabet or how to play the piano). I love that he can have both, and they don't have to be in conflict with each other.

"And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David..."

Nehemiah 12:37

Hunter is 3 years, 5 months old

Motivation for Writing

Hunter wanted to do his "school book" today that he got for Christmas. It is a "reading and writing" workbook so we haven't used it yet since he's not developed very far in his writing skills. However, we got it out, at his request, yet at first he was hesitant - "I can't do it" he said, before he even started.

He was this way last time we tried writing, which is why I put it away for a while. He loves writing "H's", but last time I tried to teach him a new one - "A" - he became frustrated because they were turning out like H's. He would attempt an A and I would tell him what a good job he did and he would tell me, "No, that's an H" and become frustrated with himself.

But today I gently encouraged him to try it, and led his hand through the first "A", reciting "down the left side, down the right side, and across the middle" while pointing out how we need to do it very carefully and to stop at the blue line. It was all done in fun and games with a huge smile. Then I let him try it, on his own, telling him how great he did on the last one and to just be very careful with this one. And he did it! The line was more towards the bottom than the middle, and the ends of the A went past the bottom line quite a ways, and it was somewhat sideways, but I told him what an awesome job he did and threw a huge fuss about what a great writer he is and you know what? He wanted to do another one! If I would have focused on all the ways he didn't get it right, he would have shied away from writing even more and hated it. But instead, I focused on what he did get right - he just wrote his first letter A!

That's the Glenn Doman methodology, of how to motivate your baby. And it works. Most of us were raised in a system that ignores what we do right and bemoans what we get wrong. You don't get tested to find out what you can do well, you get tested to find out what you can't. "No, stupid, that's NOT how you spell Mediterranean!" Big, red marks highlighting each place where you failed. If you want to motivate your tiny child, you have to focus on what they succeed at and teach them what they do not, even if that means throwing a huge fuss when they attempt to write the letter "A" and it turns out sort of like a horizontal "H". We throw a huge fuss when they attempt their first step, and take one tiny step and then stumble to the ground! We could focus on how much they failed, how far they are from accomplishing perfect upright walking. But we focused on the tiny bit where they succeeded, and it made all the difference.

Hunter is now highly motivated to write. He wrote a few more (quite good) A's and then I put away the writing book (always stop before your child wants to stop). With a highly motivated mother and a highly motivated child, there's no limit to what you can accomplish.

"Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:"

Isaiah 30:8

Hunter is 3 years, 4 months old