FUN GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR BABY
Play comes naturally to children. Babies start playing as soon they’re able to move around. Parents are a child’s first playmates. So enjoy the first few years of his life by playing with him. Every game you play with him gives him enormous pleasure. An hour a day spent with your baby ensures that your child acquires new skills. Break up the time into fifteen minute slots. Fifteen minutes spent playing with your baby before you begin your task will pay off more than if you were to give him just five minutes as he is then more likely to become attention seeking when you are busy.
There is a right time for you to introduce games that encourage particular skills to flourish, so make sure to vary the activities that you play with your child. Physical games encourage mobility. Singing helps to develop speech. Playing with toys such as building blocks helps your baby to become more dexterous.
INDOORS:
Till the age of one and a half you were carrying your child or he was crawling. When he begins to walk, he struggles and is not very steady. Then, before you know it, he’s all over the place.
Some games that you can play with your child indoors could include:
- Walk up baby: Hold up an incentive like a toy and keep urging him to walk up to you. When he succeeds, give it to him as a reward.
- Action songs: a) fly an aeroplane. b) clap your hands c) skip to my love d) the wheels of the bus etc.
- Finger play: This little piggy, one two three four five,where is thumbkin? Etc,.
- Blind man’s buff: Blind-fold your self and try to catch your child.
- Simple puzzles, painting , drawing ,scribbling etc,.
- Reading from simple picture and word books.
You can add to these activities.
OUTDOORS:
The local park has soft grass so that even if he falls he won’t be hurt.
- CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Keep the running area to a minimum, so that he can see you. As you run and dodge him and laugh spontaneously, he too will laugh with you as he chases you. He’ll enjoy this. When he gets tired, sit down and take a break.
- SEE-SAW: Hold him over one end of the sea-saw while an older child controls the other end. Do it gently- but let him experience the up and down sensation of the sea-saw.
- SWINGS: Hold him to the seat and swing him. Slowly, he’ll learn to grip the side chains or ropes and will learn to push himself and then he’ll enjoy himself.
- GROUP GAMES WITH OLDER CHILDREN: Older children are quite protective of younger children. Let your child join in their games. Step back and watch as he plays with them. Children are good at inventing their own games; but some of the popular games are ‘is the lamb at home’, ‘in and out ’etc. They may have different names for them. If your child keeps looking back at you—it means he’s had enough—take him back.
- By the time he’s three, he’ll be bolder. Still he’ll expect you to chaperone him. He may want to try the jungle gym but he may hold back for fear. Lift him up so that he can hold on to one of the bars. Encourage him to look at the other children and learn. Slowly, he’ll be able to swing from bar to bar. In a few days, with practice he’ll be swinging like a monkey.
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