How to help develop your baby’s intelligence

Every new experience your baby has helps build an encyclopedia of knowledge in their brain. Right now, they’re forming a network of neural connections that allows them to understand what they see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. As they become more mobile and curious, they have many more opportunities to build that network and grow their understanding. 

Experiencing how things work in real life has a unique benefit to brain development, says psychologist Will Staso, Ph.D., author of “Neural Foundations” and “Brain Under Construction”: “To gain knowledge and a rich brain architecture, children need to experience real-world objects, events, and situations from a variety of perspectives and sensory inputs,” he explains. 

How experiences build your baby’s brain architecture

Let’s say your baby sees a picture of a banana in their ”Things I See” Texture Cards.

The parts of the visual image related to the banana’s color are stored in one spot in your baby’s brain while the shape of the banana is stored in another. When you say the word “banana,” the sound gets stored in yet another location.

With repetition, your baby will start to associate the sound of the word “banana” with the image of the banana.

Then, if you go to the kitchen and show your baby a real banana, they’ll notice how it feels in their hand and how heavy it is. They’ll see that the whole can be cut in half and understand that a banana is found in the kitchen.

Over time, your baby will discover that a banana must be peeled before eaten, and it can be mashed, cut into long strips, diced, or even mixed into other foods. Eventually, they’ll learn that banana peels can be green or yellow or brown and bananas “thud” when dropped. They’ll notice that bananas have a certain smell, and that smell is different from other foods. 

This network of associations is complex and almost endless—and links to many other networks: bananas can be the same color as lemons, must be peeled like an orange, and can have many textures like potatoes. 

Exposing your baby to everyday objects and events opens the door to these meaningful learning opportunities.

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