new mother looking for insight...

[zoebird]

Hi all!

I'm a new mother to a beautiful 3 month old boy, hawk. I love being a mother!

But, I'm finding mself in a situation where i don't know what to do with my vibrant boy! According to our family doctor, he's physically 'ahead' in many ways, and when i look at him you can see (and many people comment about) the real intelligence in his eyes. He's always engaged and looking for conversation!

in the earlier months, our routine was reading while nursing, reading when he was awake, havin conversations about what we're doing, and fun movement with songs. of course, because he was so sleepy, the schedule was rather easy on me. i would put him in his wrap to sleep and walk or do my housework or other work, and in between i would engage him in our games or reading.

but now, his attention span is much longer. by himself, he's happy to play with his body or just 'exercise' and explore for a good 20 minutes. when he's with an adult who is conversing with him, he'll stay engaged for at least that long if not longer.

in a sense, i'm running out of things to do with him!

the materials that i have read indicate that babies learn quickly, but i've also gotten a lot of criticism about various "academic" programs for babies. i'm nto really looking for an academic program so much as something to keep us occupied and engaged--without having to make anything.

So, i was wondering what sorts of things might work well for us. i just want to play learning games with him, and of course i'll continue to read, communicate, and play in other ways. he's very physical, so we do a lot of physical play already.

i'm also wondering if programs exist that do not rely on videos and computer games as a part of the equation. i mean, can one utilize YBCR materials without the dvds or are those essential?

i'm just curious, looking for insight and new ways to play with my little guy!

[rixu]

hi zoebird

we have many opportunities for our kids. we can teach them everything on their early age.
browse through the site we ave very useful information for babies. teaching materials and ways to teach. discussion and clarifications. hope to see u in the forum

[THen]

Hi zoebird!

Glad you're here!  I know the moms here are great and have lots of good ideas.  Perhaps the following threads might be useful:

http://forum.brillkids.com/teaching-your-child-to-read/your-favorite-learning-to-read-games/msg11387/?topicseen

http://forum.brillkids.com/product-discussions-and-reviews/toys-and-such/

I know that the YBCR material can be taught with flashcards instead of the video.  But you'll have to buy or make the cards.  I know this forum has a sell/buy section, too. 

It sounds like you have a pretty nice routine going. 
A few things my older boys liked to do when they were little were:
Duplos - at first they would just take apart what I had built, but then they started building.
Bath time - They loved playing in the water.  I'd dump water on their heads and they'd laugh (well, not all of them liked that one).  We also made bubbles come out of plastic cups we put under water (took them a while to figure out how to do that on their own), and played by blowing bubbles.  Just trying to catch a moving duck was a nice challenge at first.
Music - We'd just sit and listen, pretend to conduct, dance, vacuum, jump around.  My boys' favorite was to have cowboy music on and I'd bounce them on my knee like they were riding a horse (good exercise...quite tiring, especially after they learned to sign "more"). 
Hide and Seek - Mom hides, the stuffed toy hides ....  It's a lot of fun when they learn object permanence.
Cars and planes - What is it with boys?  Even when they're little, they love to pretend (or watch me pretend) with cars and planes while making the car and plane sounds. 

You may already do all those things, but that is what my boys liked.  My youngest, on the other hand just love to explore.  Anything new to him is a great toy (egg carton, box, paper towel tube, ...)  He also likes the Little Reader (computer program).  The likes to hear the animals roar and the chickens cluck.  But he doesn't care for the YBCR videos. 

Hope some of that can be of help

[nhockaday]

Those are some great ideas, THen! There are many more ideas on the forums. I suggest you browse through the topics on the early learning boards. You should be able to find some great tips and ideas there. And of course, you can always ask our members more questions.

Like THen said, you can but YBCR flash cards and books. You don't need to have the videos to use these, although the videos are really wonderful. You can purchase all heir learning materials on their website.

It's great to have you here! I hope to hear more from you soon!
Nikki

[Lappy]

Hello zoebird! 

Welcome to our BrillKids Forums! 

And why not try signing too? Signing helps your child communicate better, and it is a very useful skill to have, which allows better development of hand coordination.  And it's a fun activity too, you can learn to sign with your child!

Be sure to also browse through the different topics on early education here in the forums - and please feel free to participate in the discussions, too!  We hope that you will share your parenting experience with us here, and I look forward to reading about your adventures while teaching your little one!

We're glad to have you!

Lappy   

[zoebird]

we do sign as well.

our most common sign is part of our elimination communication practice--toilet! he is sort of using it, but he also was born holding his hand in that gesture (thumb tucked under index finger), so it's kinda hard to tell.

also, he can identify body parts. he knows hands and feet, he knows nose, eyes, and mouth as well. he also "tells" a joke. when we play 'nose boop!' he'll go a few rounds of "up, down, booop!" and then he lifts his head on a round and bites your nose. then, squeaks and squeals with joy once he finally lets go! so, his first joke is already in. and adorable too!

i talked with my husband today and he thinks we should start with YBCR series and just work it our way. i also think i want to do math with him as well.

[kamikam]

Do you have a program called Help me Grow in ur area? its a free service. they will come to your house and work with you and ur child and give u great ideas on how u can teach ur child new things. There moto is  a parent is the best teacher for a child  so it really helps. Even though im a great mom i still have them come cus the kids really enjoy the activites they bring.

One idea they gave me when my son was younger, was to tie a toy to a string and tie the end of it to part of there high chair  (of course you would have to supervise so they wouldnt choke them selfs or anything)  and whatch them trow the toy over and then figure out they can pull it back up from the string. (he might still be to young for this one though)

Also u can give him shapes and a container with a large enough opening and have him put the shapes in. it helps with  hand eye cordination and helps them with grabing the items (again he might be to young, but a great activity for when he can)   (we used clothes pins in a juicey juice bottle when he was a little older as it was more difficult for him with a smaller opening)

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