Building a strong connection with your baby is a fundamental aspect of your child’s growth and development. A close relationship creates a safe and nurturing environment that fosters their emotional well-being and boosts neural connections. The power of a strong bond between a parent and child surpasses any other influence on your baby’s development. This is why it’s important to become your baby’s first and most important teacher.

Of course, in today’s fast-paced world, where schedules are often packed and time is limited, it can be easy for parents to feel overwhelmed and disconnected from their children. This is where parent edutainment comes into play.

How We Do It

Gift Connect’s Delaware edutainment program engages parents and caregivers through experiential learning about the importance and science surrounding birth-to-three development. 

Last year, ten moms with babies under the age of 18 months joined us in a series of community gatherings in Wilmington, Delaware. These moms signed up for four sessions to learn how to use early childhood learning experiences and fun activities to stimulate brain growth in their little ones.

Additionally, they also learned:

• How talking to babies stimulates language development
• How to practice “serve-and-return”
• How to get the most out of reading with a baby
• How to use common toys and games like Peek-a-boo to help develop baby’s brain

For example, the Delaware sessions are centered around reading. As parents know, reading with the baby is such a joyous occasion. A great way to make that moment even more impactful is by incorporating a technique known as “dialogic reading.” This means that instead of just reading the words on the page, you take the time to look at the illustrations, talk about what you see, and name the colors and objects on the page. Then, encourage your baby to repeat what they hear.

One of the most powerful moments of this program was when our moms got to experience the power of music. Using techniques learned via Gift Connect’s partnership with the Carnegie Lullaby Project, professional musicians worked with each parent to write a lullaby they can now sing to their little one over and over again—a memory they will cherish forever.

The Gift Connect edutainment program is designed for moms and caregivers to learn how to stimulate their baby’s brain, which sets them on the path to a lifetime of learning.

We are happy to announce that Gift Connect is offering to conduct sessions all across the state of Delaware in 2024. If your church, organization, or community center would like to host a program at your location, please contact us at info@gift-connect.org. We’ll get right back to you.