Babies become more aware of their surroundings at this age than in the newborn stage. While they may not play with many toys, they discover that they can grab things with their hands, study faces, and learn how their parents speak to them.
Here are some activities to perform with your baby:
- Place a rattle in their hands and help them hold it for 15 seconds.
- Hold your baby facing you and allow them to locate your eyes and mouth.
- Talk to your baby. They will focus on your mouth as you speak.
- Place baby in front of a mirror and see how they learn their facial features.
- Play peek a boo very gently and quietly while on your lap or in tummy time.
- Place a pacifier in their hand and help them bring it to their mouth
- Sing songs to help with listening and learning language
- Wiggle a toy. Lay the child on their back on a safe surface and wave a toy in front of them to learn visual tracking and visual learning
- Turn on some music! Hold your baby close, supporting their head, and dance with them. This helps emotional development, bonding, and listening skills
- Message. In a warm and quiet room, undress baby down to their diaper on a safe surface. Gently but firmly massage their legs and arms for skin-on-skin contact. This teaches body awareness and creates bonding
- Read together. Place baby in your lap. Use picture books or storybooks with bright colors and read along. This builds concentration and develops language skills, and helps practice vocabulary and speech.
