Kids with Down Syndrome Learning Through Play

Kids with Down Syndrome Learning Through Play

Even as newborns children learn through play. Growth and development occur through play. It is their “work”. This is true for kids with special needs as well as any other kids.

Parents and family members are instrumental in baby and child play. In order to learn, and to play, babies and children need interaction with others, even in the first weeks. Today, Down Syndrome and learning are no longer regarded as opposites, as they were not so long ago.

Infant Play

When a newborn smiles or coos, natural instinct for a person is to return that smile or sound. The infant then responds with more noises and again we return the noises and facial expressions. Did you realize this is a form of development? Already your baby is learning. He is learning something about turn taking. He is learning how to get a response from you, his favorite toy.

Young babies do not have the skill yet to grasp a rattle, for instance, and transfer it from one hand to the other. They have to learn how to make a toy do what they want it to. Mom and Dad can help by giving baby lots of age appropriate toys that are easy to hold, make interesting sounds, and look interesting. Try to use lots of bright colors, or basic black and white. We all love those pastel colors, but the bright ones and starkly contrasting ones are much more visually stimulating to young babies.

Baby Play

At first, children with Down Syndrome may have a difficult time getting started with play. The parent or other family member needs to be there to help get the ball rolling so to speak. For example, handing the baby a toy, setting the toys in front of him where he can reach for them and demonstrating what the toy can do (rattling a rattle, squeezing a squeaky toy to make noise, etc.). The first few (or more) times you may have to guide your baby’s hands in moving so the toy creates the desired effect. This is the way he learns. As the baby learns to play on his own, the parent should back off a little and let the baby take the lead. Often these steps of showing guiding and then backing off will need to be repeated many times. Sometimes with a new toy, for example, sometimes with a new way of playing. (learning to throw the ball after having learned to roll it, etc.)

A personal example of facilitating play (though this is not an activity for a baby):

My son loves to color. He will color on anything and everything that does not move (and some things that do, like his siblings, the dogs…).Unfortunately, he has a bit of a time trying to color and keep the paper in its place. So I place a small piece of tape at the top of the paper to secure it to the table. Sometimes I line several sheets of paper next to each other along one side of the table. This way he can then focus on the task of coloring. This is work and learning through play. Sometimes I do not tape the paper down so that he can also work on developing the skill to hold the paper while he is coloring. It just depends on which skill I want him to focus on.

Helping your baby develop skills for playing is an important step for kids with Down Syndrome in learning how the world works. Today there are many children and adults with Down Syndrome learning to do things no one would have thought possible twenty years ago. With a bit of help and encouragement your child with Down Syndrome can learn much and have a active and productive life. For kids with Down Syndrome learning may not come as easily as for others, but they CAN and WILL do it with the support and encouragement of their family and friends!

Home

Contact Us

Back to top of Down Syndrome Learning page

**The information on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Rather, it is for educational and informational purposes only. You, the viewer, are responsible for obtaining health care for your child from his/her physician and other health care specialists. Always consult with your child's doctor before beginning any therapy programs.**



<