0 - 2: Practicing Play
You may feel a bit disappointed when you bring your newborn home if you expect her to giggle at your antics right away. You’ll likely get little response from this tiny stranger who doesn’t yet recognize you. But don’t worry—in just a short while she’ll begin making connections and responding to your cooing, chatting, and, best of all, playing!
Babies learn through play and like to engage in the same games over and over. They feel deeply satisfied when they know the elements of a game, yet they also love the excitement that comes with a “surprise” ending—even when they know what to expect. By knowing more about how your baby develops, you can engage her in play that will enhance her learning. Here’s how:
Birth to 6 months Your young one is trying to make sense of the sights and sounds of this new world. Help by showing her common items such as spoons or other utensils, books, fruits, and so on. Hold the item up where she can see it and let her look. Raid your closet for clothes with different kinds of fabrics, and explore the textures together.
Peek-a-boo is a perfect game for this stage because your baby hasn’t yet mastered the idea that things out of her line of vision do not cease to exist. Start by simply hiding your face behind your hands; then progress to using a blanket. As your baby gets older, hide behind a door or chair instead.
Sing! Silly songs with hand movements like “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” or “The Wheels on the Bus” will get your child’s attention quickly. Try singing the songs in different ways or using props to engage her further.
6 months to 1 year You can help this stage practice rhythm and coordination with songs that involve body movement. Try patty-cake. Gently clap your baby’s hands together while chanting the rhyme. As you utter the last words—“Put it in the oven for Baby and me!”—wiggle her little hands on her tummy. She’ll smile happily at this surprise gesture. The same combination of familiar chant and body gestures with a surprise ending brings forth a giddy smile when you play This Little Piggy with your year-old.
1 year to 2 years Toddlers are into games that involve naming body parts and making animal noises—anything that allows them to be loud and silly and to show off what they know. Like infants, they also enjoy the routine of games and adore it when there’s a surprise ending. While playing Ring Around the Rosy, they often tumble down with anticipatory giggles long before you’ve finished chanting, “Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”
Just as toddlers loved peek-a-boo as smaller babies, a simple game of hide-and-seek makes them giggle and squeal. They love dancing, too, as they gain more control over their little limbs and digits. So turn on some music and get moving!
Alice Sterling Honig, PhD, a professor emerita of child development at Syracuse University, is the author of many books on infants and toddlers, including Behavior Guidance for Infants and Toddlers and, with H. Brophy, Talking With Your Baby: Family as the First School
