Can you believe that the key to healthy, thriving, socially-apt children and adults is a healthy amount of time spent playing as babies?
That’s right. As stressed as you might be about selecting preschool teachers and curriculums for your baby, spending more time playing games and make-believe is just as important (if not more) to child development.
Playing is major way for your children to develop socially, emotionally, cognitively and physically. As your baby plays with you and interacts with objects and the world around her, all five senses required for physical perception are triggered, developed and deepened.
Your baby can learn swiftly and sweetly by simply exploring – crawling, smelling, touching, pushing – or you can play games that trigger particular stages of growth, focusing on the following:
During the year of life, your little one is highly susceptible to cognitive, social and behavioral development. The first 0-12 months are a critical time for you to play hands-on with your baby, introducing concepts of people, places, objects, symbols and self.
As you play with your baby, you can help introduce the world in a loving and constructive way that will making growing into an adolescent smooth and natural.
Let’s look at some of the best games to play during the critical developmental stages in your baby’s first year.
The first three months are all about bonding and spending time on the tummy to build muscles for upcoming physical growth and milestones, such as reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling and eventually, walking.
Spending time on the tummy is critical at this stage, and it is recommended to play on the tum for at least an hour a day. Strengthening the stomach is not easy work (as most adults know), but it is critical for babies to begin early so they can stay up to speed with consequent motor and physical developments.
Try these games to keep your baby engaged while boosting the tummy:
During 0-3 months, your baby is taking in the physical world for the first time, so it is important to introduce sounds, visuals, scents and touch to get all five senses working well.
Try these games to increase sensory perception:
Responding to, talking to, and giving your baby all the attention in these first three months helps establish a sense of security that is essential to proper bonding and development.
Try these games to start communicating and let your baby know you’re there to take care:
The earliest months are the time to introduce different scents and aromas to learn what your baby wants to eat and drink.
Months 4-6 will show advanced changes in motor skills and perceived awareness in your baby. Tummy time is still important, but now it might also be time to start sitting and teething.
Now that your baby has some tummy power, he can start to roll over and even sit up.
Try these games to take the next tummy time steps:
The next phase of sensory perception involves learning the different types, levels and textures of each available element.
Try these games to increase sensory perception:
As you communicate with your baby in months 4-6, you can practice ways to keep them engaged while you make sounds, read and talk.
Try these games to stimulate communication:
Crawling is here or around the corner, meaning your baby is about start exploring and playing on her own. Keep a close eye on your baby at all times during this stage of development. Let her explore while introducing objects and ideas to further stimulate growth and understanding.
Your baby is growing strong during months 7-9, crawling or close to crawling and developing a sense of use of his hands and fingers.
Try these games for enhanced motor skills and crawling:
During this stage, your baby is acutely tuned in to every move and sound you make. Take special care to demonstrate optimal and safe behavior.
Try these games to increase sensory perception:
It’s babbling time for your baby now, meaning he might try to communicate with you via sounds and what will sounds like attempts at words.
Try these games to encourage communication:
It’s time to baby-proof the house as your little one is likely crawling, climbing, pulling and possibly spouting iterations of mama or dada. This is an exciting time for your child’s development and an important time to provide prompts for further exploring and development.
It’s all about crawling and climbing now, and next, your baby will be on to walking.
Try these games to foster motor skills:
As your baby is exploring hands-on (or mouth-on), sensory perception is high.
Try these sensory games:
Your baby is on her way to talking, sputtering sounds that you’ll desperately want to hear as real words, but that you’ll likely need to work on refining.
Try these games to deepen communication skills:
Are you ready to play games with your baby? We recommend getting started today and following our posts to play the best and most beneficial games as your baby grows and develops through these formative months and years.
Catherine is a writer from Canada who simply loves toys, collectibles and superhero figurines. Writing is her passion, but she also loves reading, enjoying her “me time” and finding new ways to improve her work and ways to entertain the readers.
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Funtastic Toys was born out of love and necessity with the aim to provide parents with the best resources on toys and parenting. We are parents too, so we know that bringing up your kids requires commitment, patience and often creativity and that’s what Funtastic is all about.