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Fun Activities to Encourage Development
Birth to 2 Years
Different
Strokes
Stroke
your baby gently with a clean paintbrush or make-up brush,
a feather, or a cotton ball. Your baby will enjoy the sensation
as he learns to isolate different body parts. Talk to your
baby softly. Describe what he is feeling as you touch your
baby.
Oatmeal Squishies
Fill a large bowl with baby oatmeal. Put the bowl on a large
tray or a piece of plastic such as a clean old shower curtain.
Sit on the floor with your baby in your lap. Place your baby's
hands into he bowl to feel the oatmeal. As you do this, describe
how it feels and show your baby how to sift it through his
fingers.
Tummy Time!
Put your baby on his stomach. Dangle a bright toy in front
of your baby or make faces and sounds to encourage him to
lift his head.
Bathtime High Seas
Put a fleet of plastic containers such as those from margarine
in your baby's bath. She will delight in learning about sinking
and floating objects as well as dumping and pouring.
Tick
Tock, Where's the Clock?
Hide a ticking clock or small radio under a pillow or blanket.
Let your baby listen to find the sound. This will strengthen
your baby's listening skills along with problem solving skills.
2 to 4 years
Together
with your little one, create
a scrapbook of favorite and familiar things
by cutting out pictures from old magazines. Group them into
categories, such as things to eat, things to ride on, and
things to play with. You can create some silly pictures by
mixing and matching pictures. Glue a picture of a cat behind
the wheel of a car. Discuss what is wrong with the picture
and how to fix it. Count items pictured in the book. Talk
about the colors in the pictures.
Play
the yes-no game.
Ask questions such as “Are you a girl?” “Can
a dog fly?” Encourage your child to make up questions
and try to fool you.
Place
objects like a ball, a shoe, a book, in a laundry basket.
Have your child remove the object and tell you what it is
called and how it can be used. “This is my book. You
read it to me before I go to bed.”
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For
little crawlers...
Once your baby has started to crawl, you can make a simple
obstacle course of different textured pillows and blankets
for your baby to crawl across. A towel rolled up and a soft
stuffed toy will ad interest to the obstacle course,
Giggle
Wiggles!
Make small blocks of Jell-O with plain gelatin and 100%
fruit juices. Your baby will love to catch the Jell-O as
it squirms around on her tray.
Family Bowling
Show your toddler how to roll a large ball toward "pins"
to know them down. Balls can be made from large wads of
newspaper taped all around. Empty milk cartons or plastic
soda bottles can be used for "pins". The whole
family can play this game.
Fun Puzzletime
Show your toddler how to put simple puzzles together. You
can make a puzzle by cutting the front of a cereal box into
two or three wide strips. Help a little, if your toddler
needs it. Encourage her by telling her, "Good for you!
You can do it."
Daily Fun and Games-
Teach your baby to imitate
your actions. Throw kisses, clap your hands,
stomp your feet, and play finger games like the itsy-bitsy-spider,
peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. If you need additional finger
games, ask a librarian at your local library. Toddlers
like to shadow you as you do chores and give him some “chores”
to do, such as brushing his teeth and putting
on shoes. Use applause and enthusiasm to stimulate your
child to learn. If you pay attention to her successes no
matter how small, she’ll be encouraged to try more.
Remember to talk to your
to your baby as you bathe, feed, and dress him, and as you
go about your chores. Talk about what you
are doing, where you are going, what you will do when you
arrive and who and what you will see. Don’t forget
to use gestures such as waving to say good-by.
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