Becoming a parent brings a whirlwind of emotions and challenges—from sleepless nights to adjusting to baby routines. But amid the feeding schedules and endless diaper changes, there’s a remarkable opportunity waiting for you: using simple gestures to engage with your newborn and encourage early learning. This small exercise will help you connect with your baby while setting the stage for essential social and cognitive skills.

Why Babies Are Drawn to Faces

Babies are naturally attuned to faces and expressions from birth. Research shows that newborns can recognize and respond to familiar faces, sounds, and even the scent of their parents and caregivers. This ability to connect with faces isn’t just adorable; it’s an important foundation for social development. By responding to your expressions, your baby starts to learn essential communication skills.

Simple Game to Play with Your Newborn

Age: 0–3 weeks
Skill Focus: Social and Cognitive Development

What You’ll Need:

• An alert, calm baby who’s neither tired nor crying.
• A comfortable spot with gentle lighting.
• Your face—your most effective tool!

How It Works

1. Position Yourself: Hold your baby so they have a clear, close-up view of your face. Babies have limited eyesight in their first few weeks, so staying close helps them see you better.
2. Play with Expressions: Stick your tongue out slowly, then retract it. Repeat this action for about 20 seconds. If sticking out your tongue feels silly, try opening and closing your mouth.
3. Pause and Observe: For the next 20 seconds, stop moving your face and just look at your baby.
4. Repeat: Continue alternating between the tongue-out action and stillness.

You might notice your baby trying to mimic you by sticking out their tongue or opening their mouth. This simple imitation is a powerful sign of early learning and connection!

Why This Works

Observing you is one of the very first ways your new baby learns. And imitating you as this experiment demonstrates- is one of the most basic ways he shows you what he knows. Studies have found that newborns can mirror facial movements within the first few weeks. This mirroring instinct, or imitation, is one of the primary ways babies learn. By copying your expressions, your baby practices the building blocks of communication and social interaction.

The Power of Imitation in Baby Development

Imitation is how babies make sense of the world. Your newborn is constantly observing, listening, and learning from you. Around six weeks, babies can even recall and replicate expressions for up to 24 hours. Practicing simple facial games with your baby isn’t just for fun—it’s a way for them to build memory, pattern recognition, and familiarity with human interaction.

The moral of the story? Don’t underestimate your kid. It’s easy to assume vour baby is too little to understand the things you do and say, but the fact is she’s absorbing way more than you think. Your child was born with a foundation for learning, and she’s ready to build on it. so make sure you’re ready to start teaching!

Positive Role Models Matter

Kids learn all kinds of things through imitation, including how to treat other people. That’s why it’s extremely important that you provide positive relationship models for your child to imitate.

Modeling positive behaviors can shape how they interact with others and handle emotions. For instance, children raised in environments with high parental conflict are more likely to show aggression, struggle with attention, and experience emotional issues as they grow up.

Tips for Positive Parenting:

• Show Kindness: Be mindful of your interactions with others, as children pick up on tones and gestures.
• Practice Patience: Approach disagreements with calm and respect, setting an example for healthy conflict resolution.
• Maintain Consistency: Agree on rules with your partner to avoid confusion. For example, if one parent sets a limit on screen time, both should uphold it.

Helping Yourself Set the Best Example

Being a parent means your actions and habits become a mirror for your child. This is both a blessing and a responsibility! Remember that every smile, laugh, and kind gesture is a learning moment for your little one.

Quick Tips for Positive Role Modeling:

• Stay Positive: Smiling, even when you don’t feel like it, can genuinely lift your mood. This positivity is contagious and can influence your child’s behavior.
• Encourage Teamwork: Think of yourself and your partner as a team; by supporting each other, you create a secure environment for your child.
• Show Reconciliation: When kids witness a conflict, it’s beneficial for them to see a resolution. This teaches that healthy relationships include forgiveness and understanding.

Conclusion

Your kid was born with the inherent desire to imitate you. Every smile, word, and gesture you share with your baby is helping them grow and learn in ways that will last a lifetime. You do something good, she’s going to copy it. You do something stupid, and she’s still going to copy it because she doesn’t know any better yet.

From mimicking a simple expression to observing how you handle daily interactions, your child is building a foundation for emotional and social intelligence. Embrace these tiny moments, knowing that they’re more than just games—they’re building blocks for your child’s future. If you can dream it, and you can demonstrate it, your kid can do it!