Watch the health of the eyes to assure babies are taking in the colors, faces, and shapes around them. Each neuron is attaching to 15,000 other neurons during the first months. The development of vision peaks at 8 months. In research with infants, it was found that if cataracts were not removed by age 2, children were unable to see since the vision centers were not used and did not develop. Look for teachable moments.
Every day offers windows of learning for children.
When you are dressing your child, name items, colors, and count. When you are fixing dinner, let toddlers play with plastic dishes. When you can, name things that are the same, different, bigger, smaller, hot, cold. When you drive in the car, point out things like trees, cars, big trucks, and stop signs. Use music because it relates to math skills.