Fun Play Ideas for your Baby

Fun Play Ideas for your Baby

by | Apr 26, 2012 | Creative Learning, Life with Baby

Here is a list of fun ideas you can do with your baby with materials that are around the house or are easily accessible

  • Material Box

This fun activity from The Imagination Tree is great for your baby’s fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination and sensory skills.Check out more Baby Play ideas on their site.

  • Mirrors

Also featured on The Imagination Tree. Playing with mirrors is great for exploring the self, textures and environment. Different mirror materials can be used, like toy mirrors, story box mirrors and other safe reflective surfaces.

  • Ball Rolling

Your baby can usually start rolling a ball between 8 – 18 months. Most children are capable of this when they are around a year old. It’s a great activity for developing eye-hand coordination, which is a skill needed later for drawing, writing and eating. Ball rolling is also great for physical gross and fine motor development. You can use small or big balls to keep your baby entertained and depending on her ability and age. Remember don’t force your baby into the activity, just giving her the opportunity is enough, she’ll participate when she’s ready.

  • Music and Dance

Listening to music has been associated with increased spatial reasoning. Music and dance can have numerous positive effects on your baby; putting her in a good mood, helping her relax and just plain having fun. Dancing is an activity that can foster physical development as well as emotional and cognitive abilities. I’ve had experience with babies as young as 6 months moving their feet to the beat! Don’t be shy to give your baby some shakers or instruments to help her express herself and how she feels with the music.

  • Water Fun

Babies usually love water! Although they might find it stressful to take a bath in the first few weeks, most babies grow to love it and start crying when you take them out of the bath! Let your baby have some extra bath time and surround him with some rubber duckies and other safe play material. Some areas also offer swimming time for parents and their infants in groups. If you have access to a garden or beach, give your little one the chance to experience the wet mud and sand. It might be a hassle to clean up but you’re giving him a great experience in feeling textures and exploration which is great for his brain development. Remember never leave a baby in water unsupervised as it is extremely dangerous since babies can easily drown in a few inches of water.


  

  • YOU!

Of course the most irreplaceable source of joy is you! Mom and Dad! You can provide your baby with all the stimulation and interaction he needs. Talking and singing helps his language, emotion, social and cognitive development. Your face is an endless screen of expressions that teaches him how social interaction works. Your actions are a perfect model to how baby should act and behave. Most of all you know your baby more than anyone and can give him what he needs at the right time 🙂

Check out more great activities to do with your newborn and baby on the Imagination Tree’s site and The Bub Hub

Cover Photo by Mariam El Mofty

Painting!

Painting!

by | Jul 22, 2011 | Creative Learning, Life with Baby, Preschool Years, Terrific Twos

It’s never too early to start painting with your child. I’ve done painting activities with children as young as 9 months old! I’m sure even younger babies would also enjoy it.

Painting is of course a form of expression and creativity, for young children it’s a wonderful learning experience where they get to explore so many aspect. It’s a great way for your baby to get introduced to different textures,  mix and squish the paint, notice the effects of mixing colors, painting different surfaces; paper,wood or even themselves! You can paint outdoors or indoors, using a brush, sponge, foam, cotton or their little fingers, hands or feet ! You can put paint in cups to dip into or little bottles so they can squeeze out the paint and make squiggly patterns. It’s also an activity that develops young children’s large and fine motor skills,visual perceptual.

Keep in mind it’s not about the final product but about experiencing the process. An activity like painting fosters creativity which fosters your child’s mental growth by providing opportunities for trying out new ideas and new ways of thinking and problem solving. Try not to judge,direct,compare or guess your child’s creative project, this may influence your child in taking your direction of thought instead of her own! “A little assistance and direction can be helpful, but be careful not to interfere with your children’s creative explorations.Avoid dominating the play. Play should be the result of the children’s ideas and not directed by the adult. “*

Make sure you use  toxic free paint and give your baby ample room and supplies (don’t give too many choices in the beginning it may be overwhelming). Children work well in defined spaces so you can spread a mat or plastic sheet (used by painters) and put all your supplies and paper on it. It’s most likely your baby will stay within that defined area and focus on exploring all the material! It’s likely your baby will need a bath right after 🙂

While your thinking of this activity take a look at this inspiring video of Aelita Andre, a 4-year-old who has just opened her art exhibition in Manhattan last June.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23hWMvSrZx8&feature=related]

Great Resources

  • Read more on creativity and play here
  • For some creative play ideas check out the featured blogs on the Links & Blogs page 

*Website: The Whole Child (pbs) : Creativity and Play, Fostering Creativity

Image by jkurl11