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Activities to Do With Infants
Birth to Six Months
-Talk and sing to the babies when you feed, diaper, and clean them.
-Imitate the sounds
that the babies make.
-Point to and say the names of the babies' mouth, ears, nose, fingers, etc.
-Place toys and other colorful objects
where babies can see and/or touch them.
-Shake a rattle behind a baby's head and let the baby turn and grab the rattle.
-When you hold
or rock the baby, sing lullabies or other soothing songs.
-Place babies in different positions. For example, place them on their stomach
so they can practice lifting their head and rolling over. Encourage hand clasping and kicking.
-Take care of babies' needs promptly.
(For example, feed a hungry baby or comfort a scared baby.)
SIX TO TWELVE MONTHS
- Play peekaboo or other games in which you disappear and reappear.
- Give babies a safe place where they can crawl,
creep, and pull themselves up.
- Roll a ball or place a toy where babies have to reach or crawl for it.
- Give babies toys that squeak.
-
Give babies teething toys.
- Read aloud books that have large pictures and not much writing.
- Talk to babies and name objects as you
and the babies handle them.
- Begin to teach what is allowed and what is not allowed.
- Do not force baby to interact with strangers.
-
When babies indicate that they want help, provide it.
- Rock and hold babies when they are upset.
- Let babies fill containers with
objects and then dump them out.
- Change toys often when babies get bored with them.