There’s a whole wide world out there, and it’s all new to Baby. Observing the world around them is how they learn, so it stands to reason that helping them get excited about observing the world around them will only help them learn!
People-watching
Stories are a huge part of how young children develop empathy. By talking to your little one about the stories that may be going on all around them every day, you’re helping them make the leap toward developing feelings of understanding and interest in the lives of others. And developing empathy is only going to grow more and more important as they grow up, goes to school, and starts to exercise their growing social skills. In the meantime, here are a few lines of thought for the fledgling people-watcher and their parent or caregiver.
- Where is that person going? Okay, realistically, the car driving past you as you buckle Baby into their stroller is probably just on its way to the grocery store, but maybe it isn’t. That car is going pretty fast, so maybe it’s a doctor on their way to deliver a baby, or a clown who’s late to a little girl’s birthday party, or an animal rescue worker hurrying off to care for a sick bat. When Baby answers your question, you might hear echoes of books you and they have been reading together, or stories so strange they could have only come from right inside their mind.
- What’s that person’s job? What better way to let Baby know that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up than by talking about the infinite possibilities for what each person they pass on the street might do for work?
- What’s that person’s favorite animal? Sure, you can’t judge a book by its cover, but there are so very many animals in the world that wild speculation is just part of the fun. It’s also a great time to talk to Baby about all the kinds of animals the world is filled with.
As you talk to Baby about the possibilities all around them, don’t be afraid to let their imagination run away with you both – the more often you do, the more imaginative they will be!
