July 22, 2025
Some say the first teacher of someone’s life is their mother, and for good reason. Through our mothers, we often learn not just the basics—such as walking, talking, eating, etc.— but how we love, relate, and interpret the world (among an infinite number of other things). Learning starts the moment we are born and often happens at home naturally through the interactions between mama and child. Contrary to modern belief, we don’t need a lot to be great teachers to our little ones because the home environment is naturally rich with lots of opportunities for growth and development. We don’t necessarily need expensive toys and activities. In fact, there is plenty of research to support that there are many simple activities we can do at home with our children that help them learn valuable skills they will carry for the rest of their lives. Let’s take a closer look.
The Power of Everyday Conversation
It may come as a surprise that we begin learning language even before being born! Around month seven or eight of pregnancy, a baby can hear external sounds and even recognize their mother’s voice (Kisilevsky et al., 2003). After birth, language development starts to happen rapidly. Babies can often understand what you are saying even before they are able to talk to you. Being able to move our tongues to say words is a complex skill that happens after 10 or 11 months of age. What has to come before that is being able to understand words, and babies learn this by listening and observing their caregivers.
Language is considered a social skill. This is why one of the most important things you can do to help your baby learn to speak is to talk to them as early as possible. Talking to your baby throughout an activity helps them start to learn basic words about their immediate world. It may feel silly at times, but narrate what you are doing as you are doing it. For example, “Let’s clean your bottom with a wipe. Now I am putting on your diaper. And here comes your onesie!” Babies will start to connect words with actions and learn their world through language in this way.
As your child grows and is starting to speak, you will be able to build on their new skill. Asking open-ended questions, as opposed to yes or no questions, will give them the opportunity to try new vocabulary. An open-ended question might sound like, “What toy do you want to play with?” or “What color do you see?” Allow them some time to think about how to answer, as their little brains are working hard to try out a new skill. And when they make mistakes in their speech, simply repeat back what they were trying to say but in the correct way. This allows them to learn from their mistakes without the fear of getting it wrong. For example, if your child points and says, “Look! Calm tree!”, your response might be, “Look! It’s a palm tree!”
Creating a Home Where Reading Sparks Success: Building Your Child’s Foundation
Storytime and reading books are activities that many families start early on in a baby’s life. But why is reading so important? And is it really necessary to start so soon? Research has shown that there are many amazing benefits that come with early reading. We know that the brain is undergoing massive growth from birth to age three. Reading has been shown to help the brain develop not just strong language skills, but social skills and problem-solving skills (James, 2022). Reading also becomes a tool to strengthen a bond between parent and child, as it supports emotional development. Additionally, it’s been shown to help with academic success and beyond, as it usually ignites a lifelong love of curiosity and learning. (Importance of early literacy for ages 0 – 5, 2021). Reading with your baby or child can truly build a solid foundation for future success.
Our local libraries are an incredible resource in this endeavor. Most offer not only books, but free toys (for borrowing), magazines, movies, classes and even free activities. If you prefer to purchase books, many libraries offer their used books for sale for as cheap as $0.50 or a dollar. Simply ask them if they sell any of their books or if they have an organization that does it on their behalf (these organizations are usually nonprofits called “Friends of the Library”). Stop by your local branch to connect with all they have to offer.
Once you have the books you want to read with your child, spend 10-15 minutes every day reading with them. It does not have to take very long. You can use books as part of a routine, whether in the morning or bedtime. Using them during meals instead of letting them watch television is also a wonderful way to get them to eat while having fun. You can also leave books around the house, so if your child comes across one, they might pick it up and look at the book on their own.
Learning Through Play and Everyday Activities
Almost all life skills are learned very early on, usually much earlier than we originally thought! It is never too early to start learning cooking, cleaning, or more complex abilities like problem-solving, curiosity, and self-initiation. Children learn early on what it takes to be part of a family and/or community and they do so first through their primary caregivers. In this way, motherhood becomes both an opportunity and a responsibility to set our babies up for a life well-lived.
Since the dawn of time, children have learned through both playing and participating. There are certain things we can do as mothers at every stage of development to help foster these skills.
One of the most important ways you can easily do this at home is to include your child in your day-to-day activities such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. Children have an innate desire to belong and to be a part of the family; it is a survival instinct that developed to foster social inclusion and bonds to caregivers (Over, 2016). Knowing this, we have a secret super-power. The more we include children in what we are doing by delegating age-appropriate tasks (even if it’s a very simple task such as holding something for us), the more they start to build skills that will stay with them forever. In fact, there is a lot of evidence to support that children who participate in household activities are more likely to do better in school, do well in relationships, and have higher levels of life satisfaction overall (White et al., 2019). What is even better is that many parents who start this early on in their child’s life report that their children participate more readily in chores and household activities throughout the rest of their childhood.
Supporting Social and Emotional Development
The bond between a child and their mother is truly very special. It is in this relationship that a child learns so much about how to love and behave; it is also where they experience feeling safe. This is important because learning and maturing can be stunted if the child does not feel safe.
There are many simple things we can do at home to instill a sense of safety and love in our babies. The first is having regular one-on-one time without any distractions. As little as 10-15 minutes once or twice a day can make a huge difference in a child’s world. Having predictable routines can also help them feel safe because the more a routine is done, the more a child can predict what comes next for them, which in turn helps them to engage and feel calm.
Lastly, modeling problem-solving and coping behaviors helps them understand what behavior is expected of them. If you are already talking out loud and narrating what you are doing, this is an excellent way to show them how to think about solving problems and make decisions for themselves.
Conclusion
The road to nurturing a baby into a well-rounded person might be a long and winding path, but it does not have to be complicated or expensive! The most valuable tools we have as mothers are actually all free: giving quality time with our undivided attention, modeling behavior and skills, and providing love and safety. With the help of free resources such as our local libraries, parks, and community centers, we can add a layer of fun and play to what we build at home. It is also important to remember that even though we are everything to our child, we don’t have to do everything to do right by them. Start small and build on what you can.
Which one of these activities could you start this week?
Author Bio
Saiya Marshall is a volunteer writer for South Project. Based in Querétaro, Mexico, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and has transitioned from her career as a registered nurse to working as a freelance medical writer. Saiya is passionate about combining her healthcare background with storytelling to create accessible, impactful content. Outside of writing, she enjoys traveling, camping, and hunting down the best local coffee spots. A mom to a spirited four-year-old and a grumpy cat, Saiya embraces every chance to laugh and be silly with her son.
Citations
Importance of early literacy for ages 0 – 5. Little by Little Readers. (2021, August 10). https://lblreaders.org/why-early-literacy-matters/.
James, S. (2022, November 4). Benefits of starting reading at a young age. Nationwide Children’s Hospital. https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2022/11/benefits-of-starting-reading
Kisilevsky, B. S., Hains, S. M. J., Lee, K., Xie, X., Huang, H., Ye, H. H., Zhang, K., & Wang, Z. (2003). Effects of experience on fetal voice recognition. Psychological Science, 14(3), 220–224. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.02435
Over, H. (2016). The origins of belonging: Social Motivation in infants and young children. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371(1686), 20150072. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0072White, E. M., DeBoer, M. D., & Scharf, R. J. (2019). Associations between household chores and childhood self-competency. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 40(3), 176–182. https://doi.org/10.1097/dbp.0000000000000637.