New visual and tactile experiences stimulate those areas of the brain. Infants find a variety of sounds, colored objects, mobiles, human faces and touching to be interesting. Older children enjoy manipulating building blocks, books, toys that move, balls that make noises and rattles. Walking on different surfaces such as grass, sand, stairs or mud helps too. Parents should be careful, however, to provide age-appropriate stimuli.
Some challenges are too difficult for a child.
It can be easy to forget that they should just have fun. Their play is the way they explore and stimulate their brains. Tasks or experiences that are too difficult can frustrate children and shut down their learning. Parents should play alongside children, using the experiences that unfold to introduce vocabulary and open-ended questions. Children develop at their own individual pace, so parents can best nurture their child's brain development by providing plenty of encouragement and helping him enjoy whatever activity he tries to learn.