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Make Time to Play
From the very first moment that you meet your baby, play will form a huge part of your
interactions with one another. Appropriate toys, repetitive rhymes and games and stimulating
environments all perform a huge role in helping your child’s physical and social development.
From birth to six months you will be your child’s main playmate. Tickling fingers and toes, making funny
faces, playing peek-a-boo and holding noisy conversations are all part of learning about the world.
Being a 24/7 entertainer is pretty exhausting so providing appropriate toys can be a huge help.
Their field of vision is pretty short, so mobiles and pram toys in primary colours are a great favourite.
As strength and mobility increase you can introduce rattles, cloth books and soft toys. Those with a mix
of colour, shape and texture are great for all round sensory development.
Between six and twelve months your baby will gain strength and consequently have a much greater
control of their head, back and limbs. Kicking and grabbing will become part of their repertoire so it is
a great time to introduce a baby gym or something similar to encourage movement. Brightly coloured
balls, squeaky animals and toys with lots of noise and colour, particularly if they are just out of reach
provide an incentive that will get your baby rolling over, crawling and cruising along the furniture.
This is also a great time for introducing larger board books, shape sorters and building blocks –activities
that are more fun if you are sitting up. Stacking cups and rings aid dexterity and hand-eye coordination
and are perennial favourites (and can be taken in the bath). Do remember though, that practically
everything your baby touches will end up in their mouths, so do make sure there are no small objects or
older children’s toys around that could cause them to choke.
While babies do not really play with one another, getting together with other carers and their children will
encourage their social development. Learning to share, taking turns and participating in group activities
fosters skills that will be vital as they go into more formal educational settings. Reading and musical
activities in particular build the essential foundations of speech and language.