Don’t be afraid to babble. When your child starts to make noises, treat it like a real conversation and mimic the sounds right back. See how many times you can go back and forth!
Category: 6 Loving Habits
Tap Along to the Beat
When your child is on their back, gently pat their tummy. Sing a favorite song and tap along to the beat on your baby’s tummy. Try patting fast and slow. Do they smile or kick? Keep going as long as they seem to be having fun.
Babble with B
Is your child starting to babble? Use bathtime as an opportunity to babble about the letter B. If they say, “ba,” you can say, “Baby takes a bath with bubbles! Ba-ba-ba!” If they respond with more babbles, copy them right back! What other words can you make from their babbling sounds?
Do You Feel the Wind?
Gently blow on your child’s face and hair. Ask them, “Do you feel the wind?” Notice if they seem to like the sensation. If so, blow with long and short breaths. Make your pauses in between long and short, too. How long can you and your baby play?
Picture Talk
Do you have some books or magazines around? Show your child the pictures. They will like clear simple pictures, especially of faces. Talk with them about what you see. How do they respond? Now talk about their response!
Body Shape with Letters
Go through the ABCs with your child and make the shape of each letter with your bodies. How would you make the letter A? Make a triangle with your arms above your head and your legs standing wide. Can your child make the letter B with their body? Take turns making the other letters!
The Floor is Lava
Ask your child to create a path to get from one side of a room to the other without touching the ground. Use pillows, newspaper, or whatever is handy. Make it harder by seeing how far or fast they can go. Or limit what they can use to make the path to make it more… Continue reading The Floor is Lava
Pretend Catch
Ask your child to play a game of pretend catch. Imagine you’re holding a ball and throw it to them. Encourage them to throw it back to you. Try making the ball bigger or smaller. Talk with them about what you’re doing: “I’m going to throw it fast! Get ready!”
Spoon Race
With your child, place something round—like a ball or stone—in a big spoon. Can they walk across the room holding the spoon without dropping the object? Talk back and forth about how they keep the ball from falling. Come up with new ways of moving, like on tiptoes. See what happens.
Climb, Crawl, and Roll
As your child plays, encourage them to find something to climb over or crawl under. What about something they can roll on the ground, bang like a drum, or balance? This game is fun inside or outside. Talk with them about it. What was the same and what was different?
