Infant & Toddler Intelligence Building

This document outlines various ways to promote infant and toddler intelligence building across a range of domains. From music and spatial judgement to verbal and linguistic skills, this guide offers tips and activities to enrich your child’s early development. Additionally, it provides suggestions for promoting physical, interpersonal, introspective, environmental, and existential-spiritual development. By following these guidelines, you can help your child grow and thrive in a holistic way.

Music, Rhythm, Harmony

Musical Toys: Provide musical toys for infants and toddlers to explore.
Varied Music: Expose them to varied and complex music.
Sing Songs: Sing songs to them regularly to encourage their musical understanding.

Spatial Judgement

Sensory Integration: Encourage full-body sensory integration through play and movement.
Reaching Games: Play reaching games with your child to help them develop an understanding of distance and space.

Verbal, Linguistic

Clear Communication: Speak to your child slowly and clearly to help them develop their language skills.
Frequent Reading: Read to them frequently to encourage a love of books and storytelling.

Logic, Math, Abstraction

Sorting and Classifying: Encourage sorting and classifying objects with your child.
Counting and Identifying Objects: Teach them to count and identify different objects, as well as telling time.

Physical, Kinesthetic

Switching Sides: Encourage your child to switch sides when in their crib to help with physical development.
Dance and Play Games: Dance and play games that involve throwing to help your child develop their gross motor skills.
Mirror Games: Play mirror games with your child to help them develop their coordination and spatial awareness.
Crawling and Exploration: Encourage crawling and exploration to help them develop their fine motor skills.

Talking and Eye Contact: Talk to your child often and make eye contact to help them develop their social skills.
Reinforcing Communication: Reinforce communication by repeating words and sounds back to them.
Facing Outwards: Face your child outwards when carrying them to expose them to the world around them.

Introspection, Reflection

Unguided Exploration: Encourage unguided exploration to help your child develop their independence and curiosity.
Understanding Feelings: Help your child understand and label their feelings, and explore cause and effect relationships.

Nature, Environment

Describing Surroundings: Describe your surroundings to your child to help them develop their understanding of the world around them.
Playing Outside: Take your child outside to play in varied environments and explore nature.

Existential, Spirituality

Introducing Symbols and Stories: Introduce your child to symbols and stories to help them develop their understanding of the world and their place in it.
Teaching Meaning, Values, and Purpose: Teach your child about meaning, values, and purpose, and encourage compassion.
Developing Self-Awareness: Help your child develop self-awareness through reflection and exploration.