Infant Stimulation Programs

Importance of Infant Stimulation

During infancy, the brain develops rapidly and, in part, this development is influenced by the quality of the environment and the quality of nurturing care an infant receives. The brain consists of a hundred billion cells called neurons, and these neurons interconnect to form pathways that shape sensory-motor, cognitive-language, and social-emotional development. The building of these pathways requires input from the infant’s environment. An environment that is enriched through stimulation supports the building of the pathways in the brain. Simple play and communication activities such as talking and singing to the infant, gentle massage, and encouragement to explore playthings stimulate the infant’s developing brain. It is recognized that children who grow up in environments without adequate stimulation are disadvantaged and may not learn new skills and behaviors as well as their advantaged peers. On the other hand, infants who grow up in a rich, stimulating environment are curious about the world around them; learn new cognitive, language, social-emotional, and motor coordination skills; and are attentive and able to communicate their needs.

Parents play an important role in infant stimulation by providing a safe and enriched learning environment and by engaging in play and communication with their infant. Infants learn through observation, exploration, imitation, and practice of tasks. The guidance of a parent (or an adult caregiver) who encourages the infant to explore, observe, copy, try, and practice a new task supports learning by gradually building the infant’s experience and abilities (referred to as a “scaffolding” process). The infant will not master a new skill during a one-time play session; rather, skills are mastered through repetition that gives him or her the opportunity to try out something new, familiarize himself or herself with the task, and practice.

The parent-infant interaction is an important component of the stimulation process for both infant and parent, and it supports the development of secure attachment and a healthy, happy relationship. By playing and being attentive in everyday interactions, the parent better understands the infant and gains awareness of the infant’s movements, sounds, and communication of his or her needs and wants (this is described as the parent’s capacity to be “sensitive” to the infant). Closely related to the capacity of a parent to be sensitive to the infant’s needs and wants is the ability of the parent to respond in a timely and developmentally appropriate manner to the infant’s acts, vocalizations, and communication efforts (this is described as the parent’s capacity to be “responsive” to the infant). For example, consider the following

...