Are you in need of new sensory play ideas for your baby?
As parents, we are doing our best to keep our babies entertained, but sometimes it can feel like an uphill battle.
Supporting your baby to develop physically, intellectually and psychologically is so important, especially in the first six months, so we’ve put together some simple games you can play in your own home with your baby.
1. Explore scents and fabrics (0-6 months)
Aid baby’s sensory development by gently rubbing and caressing your baby’s skin with different fabrics such as silk, wool and cotton. You can use a little essential oil in orange, vanilla or lavender on the fabric too to introduce them to the world of scent.
2. Inside and Out (6-12 months)
This is a great game idea for babies around nine or ten months and helps to develop an understanding of the difference between inside and outside. Put a toy in a bucket or bag and then help them take it out. Say the words ‘in’ and ‘out’ as you do.
3. Playback sounds to them (0-6 months)
When your baby is able to make sounds, record them and play them back to them. Observe how they react to their own sounds. If it stimulates them, record different sounds around the house, like the ringtone of a phone or music.
This exercise will help them to distinguish sounds, which will enable them to differentiate words later on. When the same sounds and word patterns are repeated for babies, they memorise them.
The next time they hear the sounds it will be familiar until they are confident in what it means.
4. Play with puppets (6 – 12 months)
You can use colourful socks if you don’t have a puppet to hand.
Hide them behind your back. Does your baby look for them? Now hide it on top of the baby’s head, behind them, under a pillow, before you reveal it again and talk to baby with it.
Then put it in your baby’s hands to see what they do. Repeat this game from time to time until they try to imitate you. It’s a great game to encourage baby’s movement and speech.
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