Your child is between the0 to 6 months

It is important for the development of babies’ fine and gross motor skills that they are regularly given the opportunity to reach, grasp, kick, and clutch. We do this by giving children room to move around and explore their surroundings, like on the play rug. We leave the children free to move around as much as possible, limit the use of rocking chairs, and never leave kids in the playpen too long. It is both enjoyable and educational for children to see and experience the room from different angles.

We place toys slightly outside children’s reach, so they need to grasp to grab them. We make babies reach out to grab toys. Show on one side and put down on the other side. To be able to reach out and grab an object, children use the same motion as when rolling around, which develops both their fine and their gross motor skills. We don’t offer too many toys at once, as this makes children restless.

We regularly change children’s position so they can experience the differences between lying on their back, side, and stomach. Children don’t become aware of their bodies until they are about four months old, and will simply forget that certain body parts are there if they don’t see them. Various exercises also help to reduce the amount of time children spend in their preferred position. We approach them alternately from the right and the left to encourage them to use both body halves.

According to the legislation and regulations, there is a maximum number of regular faces that a child may see per week. We have a permanent team of staff who care for the children in each group.

We approach each child in a positive way by speaking to them softly and wearing a friendly facial expression, talking to them at eye level, and explaining our actions. By wearing soft-soled shoes, we avoid making a lot of noise while moving around, and we always approach children from the front so we don't startle them.

Our childcare staff make a point of sometimes keeping away from the children for short periods of time, as children do not need adults for everything to go through the various stages of development. This encourages them literally from a distance, which helps to build their self-confidence. Allowing children to do things themselves also stimulates their cognitive and sensory development, as well as developing their personalities. Children – no matter how young – tend to get a thrill out of learning and discovering things independently.

We feed children on our laps whenever possible. As a result, the child receives personal attention, feels cared for, and is often satisfied afterwards. They can then go on to entertain themselves for a while. An added benefit of this approach is that children take a more active position if they’re fed while sitting on an adult’s lap, as well as being better able to observe their environment.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star...” “Did you ever see a lassie...”, “Row, row, row your boat...” We like to sing similar children’s songs in Dutch with the kids often, and always do so at a slow pace, with high tones and exaggerated tone, so the children can hear the sounds clearly. At this age, virtually all children love to sing.

We spend a lot of time at Kindergarden reading to the children, even the youngest ones. Babies are pre-verbal (i.e. they haven’t yet started communicating with words), but they make noises, gestures, and mimic others. They are also already listening selectively: their preferred sound is human voices. This is important for their personal language development. During the pre-verbal stage, children vocalize in various ways.

Music is an important part of our educational program: in addition to singing, we play classical music in our baby group. Each child is free to express themself in their own individual way, as self-expression fosters self-confidence.

We talk to the babies a lot and make eye contact with them as much as possible. When we are tending to them, we tell them what we are doing. Babies listen mainly to a person’s tone of voice and hear differences in the way people speak, so we make sure to speak in reassuring, soothing, and gentle voices. We give children the opportunity to react, and they become increasingly responsive: this may range from cooing and crowing to laughing.

Motor and sensory development are the basis for cognitive development. Babies observe their environment through their senses: hard, soft; rough, smooth; cold, warm; large, small. In terms of cognitive development, this is when they first learn to process information and observe the characteristics of different objects, animals, or people. We give children lots of room to move around and explore, and offer them a variety of materials with different textures, including fabric, plastic, wood, and bamboo.

The contrast between black and white is the first thing that children can see. When most babies come to us, they are also very attracted to this contrast. Extra colors are gradually added, but continuing to offer the black and white contrast as well helps the children to start recognizing shapes and stimulates their senses.

From around the age of four months, it is good to stimulate all of children’s senses. Babies explore fabrics and materials by observing, feeling, and tasting them. They have a need for toys with clearly defined shapes, sounds, and colors. However, since children have limited attention spans, we look closely and respond to signs that the child has had enough (in fact, children are very good at communicating this themselves at this age).

Since babies are very curious, we make sure to keep our branches clear of any objects that could potentially cause harm to them. Note that up to around seven months, babies can’t really feel anything with their hands. While they have already learned to grasp objects, they lack the control to explore objects with their fingers.

We regularly put children down in front of a mirror. After a while, they become aware of their reflection and actually touch this in the mirror. They enjoy watching themselves and often let out little squeals of delight.

Children learn a lot through imitation, which includes mimicking the facial expressions of their caregivers and parents. Try putting on a pouty face or stick out your tongue, and you’ll find that your child will do the same. Some kids also love raising their eyebrows: you’ll see that their whole face will start moving when they do this!

Hugging and touching promotes bonding between parent and child and between caretakers and children. Tactile sense is particularly important for young children. Feeling physically and emotionally safe will help your child to form relationships with others and develop a sense of self-worth, as well as being better able to handle stress, anxiety, and feelings of unsafety later in life. Our genuine attention and loving care will help your baby develop into a healthy child.