As thinking skills mature and your baby begins to understand more complex concepts, try games that encourage natural curiosity, and busy activity toys with lots of features to explore.
She may anticipate the "surprise" phrase in favorite children's songs
With you holding his hands, he may walk
She mimics more, copying others' actions
He likes to play peek-a-boo—and peek around corners, too
She can anticipate and remember simple sequences, such as expecting food when you open the pantry
He begins to show preferences for the different sounds he hears in language
Toys to encourage physical development like standing and cruising
Laugh & Learn™ Dance & Play Puppy
Help your baby learn more:
Encourage baby to pull up and stand by pointing out features near the top: “I wonder what will happen if we push this button up here?”
Clear a path on all sides of the toy so your baby can pull up and cruise all around it. Babies who are learning to stand and balance appreciate sturdy support.
Reinforce language concepts by using descriptive words as you and your child play with the toy: “Look! His nose lights up!”
Toys to encourage early learning
Laugh & Learn™ Love to Play Puppy™
Laugh & Learn™ Apptivity™ Case
for iPad® devices
Help your baby learn more:
Basic learning. Toys like these expose your child to basic building blocks of learning … simple concepts like letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Talk about these when you play with your child, extending them to other parts of baby’s world to help them make more sense. “That's the number five. Here are five crackers.”
Now for a game. Add interest by playing letter or number games. Pick a letter and find something in the room that begins with that letter. Say the name of the letter and the name of the item out loud for baby: "That's a D. D is for Daddy." You're extending his learning, but don’t worry about teaching actual letters or numbers at this age.
Toys with fun surprises
Go Baby Go!™ Bat & Wobble Penguin
Go Baby Go!™ Poppity-Pop™ Musical Dino
Laugh & Learn™ Learning Home™
Help your baby learn more:
Surprise! Sit with your child on the floor and point out different surprises, colors and shapes on the toy.
Build baby's excitement and anticipation by calling attention to what might happen: "I wonder where the ball is?" That gets baby to think, even at this young age, about estimation.
Use words and descriptive terms as much as possible in "conversations" with your baby; children of this age enjoy listening and vocalizing.
Early role-play toys
Laugh & Learn™
My Learning Tools™
Laugh & Learn™
Say Please™ Tea Set
Laugh & Learn™ My Pretty Learning Purse™
Help your baby learn more:
Measuring up. When baby plays with his toy, let him see you using its “real-world” counterpart. Measure something with a ruler and watch your child make the connection between his toy and your tool.
Sing along with baby's musical toys. Once she hears you, she'll want to join in!
Shaping the day. As you go about your day, reinforce baby's understanding of shapes. “Look at your plate—it's a circle, too!”
Give baby a “taste” of real kitchen equipment. Set out plastic cups and bowls and let him stack and sort to his heart's delight. Add a spoon into the mix and he’ll make music for you, too!
Children develop at their own pace and reach milestones at different times. The highlights mentioned in this website are approximate guidelines only. If you have any questions about your child's development, consult your healthcare provider.
Bells Are Ringing
Average Rating
In this musical version of hide-and-seek, your baby has to search for and find the hidden bells. It's not very difficult—all he has to do is listen while the bells are ringing to discover the secret hiding place.
Materials
Soft toy with a bell inside, or a bracelet made of bells
Various hiding places, such as soft toys and blankets
Instructions
Find a toy with a bell, or make a bracelet with bells. (Make sure you use bells that are too big for baby to choke on.)
Set your baby on the floor and surround him with a variety of potential hiding places, such as soft toys, and blankets.
Hold up the bells for your baby to see, and shake them for your baby to hear.
Secretly hide the bells under or in one of the hiding places.
Ask your baby, “Where are the bells?”
One by one, lift the hiding objects and shake them. When you lift the object that hides the bells, shake it, but don't let your baby see the bells.
Watch your baby's expression change as you shake the bells.
Uncover the bells and say, “There are the bells!”
Play again, varying the hiding places.
Safety
Be sure the bells are securely attached to something, so your baby can't swallow them
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