Why is it important to let babies touch and explore new things?

  • All babies are born with curiosity that must be satisfied in order to provoke learning.1
  • Unfortunately, too many denial and disapprovals from parents may discourage the curiosity in child to such an extent that his/ her learning may slow down or stop completely.1
  • Children use their senses e.g., hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling and moving to collect information about their world.2
  • Touch is important for the growth and development of young children.3
  • Touch plays a vital role in brain formation.3

Tips to help children touch and explore new things

  • Let you baby touch new things to get new learning experiences.1
  • Encourage your baby to touch all kinds of textures.2
  • Do not stop your child from touching things with the fear of spoiling/ breaking things; instead keep breakable things far from their reach1

Advantages of letting children explore

  • Letting the child to explore things and discover things on their own helps in quick learning.1
  • Babies who are allowed to explore more things are more knowledgeable about the world and are more enthusiastic to try new experiences.1
  • Children restricted to explore new things can lack the desire to learn.1
  • Letting children explore and experiment, enhances the possibilities for creative outcomes without the fear of failure.4

Reference

  1. Murphy LB, Leeper EM. The ways children learn. US department of health education and welfare.
  2. Early Child Development Kit: A Treasure Box of Activities[Internet]. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/earlychildhood/files/Activity_Guide.pdf. Accessed on Feb 8, 2020.
  3. Barnett L. Keep in touch: The importance of touch in infant development. Infant Observation. 2005;8:115–23.
  4. Play and the learning environment[Internet]. Available at: https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/53567_ch_10.pdf. Accessed on Feb 8, 2020.