Baby Mind builders
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Little Dropper
Find a few soft toys, balls, or things that will not break around your house. Put them a bin or box. Once your baby can sit up, set them on a blanket or in their high chair. Place the container of items close enough to reach. Watch baby take each item out or simply turn the entire box over and dump everything onto the floor!
Talk about each item as they handle them. Help baby put the items back into the box. Use words to talk about what is happening,
You can say,
- You threw the red ball!
- Where is the ball? Here it is!
- The cup made a loud noise when it hit the ground!
- Here is the square block.
Hand the box of items back to your child. Play again until they get tired of the activity.
Listen Up!
Take your baby on a listening walk! Hold baby in your arms and walk in your home, yard or the neighborhood. You can make noises. Knock on different objects. Notice as your baby listens to the sounds you make. Talk about each sound with lots of excitement. Use words that will be fun for your baby to hear like bang, zoom and pop!
You can say,
- What do you hear? Did you hear those leaves go crunch, crunch, crunch?
- Can you hear the car? It went zoom, zoom!
- I heard a ding-dong! Did you hear it?
- Can you hear the birds chirping? The dog barking?
Let your baby touch the different objects, too. Name each object for them.
Time to Count!
Each time you wipe your baby’s hands after they eat, count their fingers. When you wash their hands and feet in the tub, count their fingers and toes. Say each number out loud.
As you wipe each finger say,
- One, two, three, four, five! You have five fingers on this hand!
Make counting a part of your daily routines.
You can say,
- There are 1-2-3 apples in that bowl.
- Let’s clean up your toys. 1 truck, 2 trucks, 3 trucks in the basket!
Look, Baby, Look!
Find something colorful to hold in front of your baby. Lay your baby on their back and hold the item slightly out of their reach. Help them to look at it and explore it. Talk with your baby about it.
You can say,
- What do you see?
- What shape do you see? Look, this is square!
- What color is this? Is it green?
Bring the item closer to your baby’s hand, arm, or belly and let them touch it. Use a quiet voice and gently touch your baby while you are talking with them.
You can say,
- What does this feel like? It is so soft and squishy!
Move the item to one side and then the other side. Watch your baby follow it with their eyes or reach out and touch it.
Where Did it Go?
Play “peek-a-boo” with your baby. Sit close to your baby so that they can easily see your face. Take a soft cloth or blanket and cover your face. While your face is covered say,
- Where’s Daddy? (or Mommy, or Grandma)?
Take the cloth off your face and say,
- Peek-a-Boo!
During this year, your baby begins to understand when something is hidden. In the early months, your baby might not react when your face is covered. They do not understand yet that you are under the cloth. As they get older, they will begin to understand that you are hiding They might even try to pull the cloth off of your face. In time, they will start to cover their own face and play Peek-a-Boo with you.
