102 h e l p i n g y o u r c h i l d k n o w w h e r e s h e i s
How a child learns to know where she is
A child who can see uses her eyes to know where she is and where objects
are. A child who cannot see well needs to know these things too, but she
must learn to use her other senses. When she does, she will be able to
move around her home and later become active in the community. To
learn how to orient herself:
she must learn
where her body
is in relation to
other objects
The
door is
right in
front of
me.
she must
learn where
objects are
in relation
to other
objects
From the
door, the
woodpile is
just ahead,
on the
right.
You can help your child learn orientation skills by: (1) teaching her
about her body and the way it can move, (2) helping her develop her
senses, which give important information about her surroundings, and
(3) thinking about things around your home or neighborhood that she
can use as landmarks.
Body Awareness
A child learns the names of the parts of her body by watching and
imitating other people. A child who cannot see well will learn the names
of different parts of her body when you teach her to use her sense of
hearing and touch. For activities that help a young baby learn about
her body and develop her senses, see Chapter 5, “Activities for the Young
Baby.” Many of these activities are also good for older children.
To help your child learn the names
of different parts of her body
Make up games in which you ask your
child to do things with different parts
of her body and with your body. To
give you some ideas, here are a few
examples:
Ask your child to touch part of her body
and then touch the same part on your
body.
Can you
touch my
mouth,
Majoya?
helping children who are blind