Baby development games to play

Hold firmly so baby does not roll off. Helps baby strengthen core muscles and achieve developmental milestones. Get to Know Baby: Take time to get to know baby in every way. Smile at them. Touch hands, feet and forehead. Once babies get a bit older, building blocks can help continue that development. The sillier the better, since babies are often delighted by these responses and more interested in keeping the interaction going. Playing together provides opportunities to boost social and emotional skills by helping your baby understand and process emotions, says Lytle.

Focused, attentive interactions with loving caregivers are the best brain builders, says Lytle. When caregivers play with babies, they can make the experience even more beneficial by focusing on their baby and tuning out their phone and other distractions. Get the best of ParentMap delivered right to your inbox. Malia Jacobson is an award-winning health and parenting journalist and mom of three who contributes regularly to more than 90 national and regional publications and has written two books on sleep.

Sections x. Every Family's Northwest Bucket List. Teens Take Action. Support their head gently, but firmly, while they experience the world around them. When your baby is quiet and alert, observe what they do, then imitate their actions like a little copycat. Infant Games: Month 2 At 2 months old , your infant is mostly focused on physical sensations like the feel of their blanket or the texture of a toy.

Hide and seek. Pop a stuffed animal or puppet out from behind your back or the side of the crib like peek-a-boo. Soon, your baby may start looking for it, delighted when it jumps out. Weather permitting, try to establish a daily walk with your baby to introduce them to new sensations.

Infant Games: Month 3 In the third month , your baby will show improved head control and core strength and even begin to recognize the breast or bottle. Give your little one a soft toy rattle and show them how to shake it to make a noise. They may not become a rock star, but these types of infant games help with their communication and motor skills. Pitches and voices. Try to discover the pitches and rhythms your baby enjoys like high-pitches, breathy voices, or singsong tones.

While experimenting with different cadences, make note of what makes your little one turn toward you. Infant Games: Month 4 At 4 months old , your baby has good head control and can likely roll or reach for objects.

Or let them sniff a piece of fruit or light perfume. Infant Games: Month 5 Being social. Check out these all-time favorite baby books to find some to add to your baby's library. Good choices include sturdy books with big pictures and simple stories, and books that introduce different colors, shapes, or animals.

As you turn the pages, describe what you're seeing on the page. Crawling course. You can use couch cushions, pillows, oversized plush toys, and other soft, safe objects.

Any way he crawls over to you is fine, whether he crawls over, under, or around your course—the key is that he is moving and having fun. Puppet theater. Entertain your little one with a finger puppet show. To make puppets, you can cut the fingers off a pair of old gloves and draw faces on the fingers with a marker or hot-glue googly eyes.

You can also make finger puppets using construction paper or felt. Your baby will love watching the show unfold. Use a mirror to play a game with your little one. Hold it up to him so he can see himself. He may even laugh or giggle at himself. Encourage him to make faces by making faces yourself in the mirror. With this game, you sit with your baby on the floor or on the ground if you are outside, and hold him under his arms. Have a ball ready to go in front of him. Then gently swing your baby so he kicks the ball forward.

Eventually your baby will get the hang of the game, and love it. All you need to do is cover and uncover your eyes or face and say peek-a-boo.

Your baby will laugh and giggle as if it were the best thing on earth.