Playing
with Baby: what activities to do with a toddler?
We give you
some ideas to amuse your child from his first months…
Are you
lacking in imagination to keep your baby occupied at home? Even if he is still
a toddler, know that it is possible to entertain him. Be careful, however, to
always respect your child's growth rate. If having fun is fundamental for its
development, it is important not to force things.
From birth,
you can sing lullabies to her. Classic, but effective for cuddling and sharing
moments of complicity with him. Older children also love nursery rhymes. Your
child will take them back with you as they get older. Indeed, the latter
strengthen listening skills and fully participate in language development. From
his first months, don't hesitate to read stories to your child either. Play
with your voice and comment on the images. It will fuel your little one's imagination
and awaken a taste for reading. For a moment of absolute relaxation, you can
also opt for massages of the upper body, hands, feet, back ... In addition to
bringing security and well-being to your baby, they will allow him to discover
his anatomy.
The game of
hiding and seek: from 2 months
From 2-3
months, you can introduce your baby to the game of "hide and seek":
lay him on a small mat on the floor on his back. Move out of his field of
vision by calling him softly, then a little louder. If he moves his head to try
to see you, call him back and when he turns to congratulate him. This little
game will allow him to expand his field of exploration by trying to locate the
source of the sound. A sheet or a towel, and presto, we are playing hide and
seek! Your baby will gradually become aware of the permanence of the object. He
learns that, even out of his sight, people and things still exist. The child
thus understands that the separations are temporary.
Musical
awakening games to entertain baby
Toddlers
are very attentive to sounds. To develop your child's musical ear, do not
hesitate to transform everyday objects into shaking or striking instruments. To
do this, use solid cardboard tubes (paper towel roll or plastic wrap. Decorate
them and pour sand, rice or dry beans inside. Remember to tightly close the
edges with tape Once in his hands, your child will never tire of shaking him.
In their book "100 activities to communicate well with my baby",
Nathanaëlle Bouhier-Charles and Flavie Augereau also offer to make a homemade
battery. Take several boxes (cardboard, plastic, iron) and two wooden spoons
for Baby Guaranteed success! Another tip to stimulate your child's hearing:
attach clip-on bells to Baby's sleeves or socks. Each of his movements will be
accompanied by small tinkles.
Awakening
games to stimulate your senses
Nothing
better than spending time at home to awaken your child's senses. For 6 weeks,
you can do small exercises to stimulate his eyesight, for example. Start with
what fascinates him most: your face! Move it slowly in front of hers. You can
also have fun hanging ribbons or textiles of all colors on an old glove (or an
old sock). He will certainly be captivated by these different colors. From 6
months, you can start putting it in front of a mirror. Your child is still too
small to recognize himself (he will have to wait for his two years) but he will
not be able to help to smile at the face he has in front of him.
To develop
his sense of touch, from 4 months, introduce him to new shapes and textures, in
particular, thanks to the awakening carpets or fabric books. If you have the
time, let yourself be tempted by the manufacture of a "house" pendant
light with different shapes and materials: cotton, a ball of wool, colored
cardboard sheets, a touch of creativity, and All these materials are
not intended for toddlers, do not leave your creation in the hands of Baby
unattended. As he grows, your child also becomes more aware of his body. Do not
hesitate to tickle him from head to toe with a colorful feather or scraps of
cotton, silk, suede ... Not only will he develop his sense of touch, but he also
use his motor functions to catch the elements. Another idea: make a small
surprise bag in which you will put your favorite toys. By plunging his hand into
it, your little one will have fun guessing what he is grabbing. All these
sensory games are important for their development. The baby has a sensorimotor
intelligence which he develops through the tactile experience and test movements
which structure his emerging representation of the world around him.
For older
children, around 2 years old, parents can play games to develop their sense of
taste. You just have to blindfold them and ask them to guess the food you make
them taste. Your little one will love it.
