A fun outside game is “Drop the Ball.” Give your child a safe object to hold onto and drop, like a ball or a crumbled piece of paper. If you pick it up, they will drop it again. “Down it falls. Up it comes.” Keep up the game with new objects!
Category: 6 Loving Habits
Shake, bang, roll
When your child picks up something safe, encourage them to “Shake, Bang, and Roll!” How many different ways do they explore the object? Talk to them about what they’re doing, “You shook the rattle and made a sound.”
Hold child on knees
Sit on the floor holding your child on your knees. Gently move them up and down, side to side, and explain what’s going on. “Now you’re going up, up in the sky!” “Now you’re moving over to the door,” or “down, down to the ground.” Make up new ones as you go!
Silly faces
As you hold your child and look into each other’s eyes, make a silly face or sound. How do they respond? With twinkly eyes? A smile? A laugh? Try it again but do something different. This is the beginning of a lifetime of laughs to share together.
Did you hear that?
When you’re outside, ask your child, “Did you hear that?” each time you hear a sound. Imitate the sound out loud and make gestures to go along with it. Invite them to make the sound too.
Slow song
Play, sing, or hum a slow song and hold your child while you dance together. How do they respond to the feeling of dancing? What about the sound of the music? Respond to what they do. Laugh if they laugh! Enjoy this special moment.
Pattern talk
As you feed your child, put a bright dishcloth, towel, or scarf over your shoulder. Do they notice it? Do they look back and forth between your face and the colors? Talk to them about the different colors or patterns as they do.
Copy child’s sounds
As you dress your child, copy the sounds you hear them make, like “ah, eee, ooo, bee, dee.” How do they respond? As you make a sound, place their fingers on your lips so they can feel the vibrations and movements of your lips. Try different sounds as you do!
Sing to sleep
As you’re putting your child to bed, rock them gently and sing softly to them. Pay attention to how they tell you they want more singing. Do they turn their head toward you? Smile? Move? What do they do to say “enough?” Cry? Turn away? Take note of how to respond to their cues now… Continue reading Sing to sleep
Talk about how things feel on skin
Talk to your child about how things feel on their skin: “Your shirt is soft.” “The wind is cold.” “The ice cube is slippery.” See how they react and continue the conversation: “You like the warm water in your bath!”
