He’s beginning to understand "object permanence," that objects don't disappear when they're out of view
She remembers recent events
His fine motor skills have improved, allowing him to pick up tiny objects
She begins to articulate sounds, beginning with vowels
Musical toys
Laugh & Learn™ Puppy's Piano
Laugh & Learn™
Learning Phone™
Help your baby learn more:
Show me! Start by exploring all the features of a toy together—show your child how to press keys, flip pages, bat rollers. At this age, it's probably best to focus on action/reaction rather than moving into ABCs and 123s.
Words, words, words. Reinforce receptive language skills by saying the names of colors, shapes and animals that you see. "Do you hear the horn? … Let's make the puppy move.”
Toys that encourage crawling, standing or cruising
Stand-Up Ballcano™
Laugh & Learn™ Fun With Friends™ Musical Table
Activity Walker
Help your baby learn more:
Surprise. Sit with your child on the floor and point out different surprises, colors and shapes on the toy. Most easy-to-activate features will be near the bottom, within easy reach for baby.
Use words and descriptive terms as much as possible in "conversations" with your baby; children of this age enjoy listening and vocalizing.
Move and groove. Exercise baby's growing muscles by encouraging her to push or crawl after a toy. Can she pull herself up and stand holding onto it? Give her lots of encouragement and you'll find out!
Sorting and building toys
Brilliant Basics™ Baby’s First Blocks
Brilliant Basics™ Rock-a-Stack®
Laugh & Learn™ Cookie Shape Surprise™
Help your baby learn more:
Before sorting shapes, help your baby learn "empty, full" and "in, out." Narrate as baby plays: "You're putting the red block in. It's round." Deliberately say the shape and the color, and whether it's going in or out. When all the blocks are out, say "empty." When they're all in, say "full."
When baby’s ready for shape sorting, put away all the shapes except the round ones. Let your child experiment with getting the circle in the correct opening. If it’s a struggle, point out the round opening and say, "Try this." Baby might get it, but if not, have the patience for trial and error.
Master of the round. Once round shapes are mastered, put those blocks away and say, "Now let's try the square ones." And when baby can sort that shape, try both together—this may be the same day, or the next day, or in a week or so—whenever baby's ready.
Toys with buttons, levers and dials
Laugh & Learn™ Learning Toolbench™
Brilliant Basics™ Musical Activity Walker™
Rumble & Learn Driver
Help your baby learn more:
You did it! Demonstrate activities on the toy, then encourage your child to do the same: "I turned the dial … now it's your turn!" "Do you think we'll hear a squeak when you press the button?" Simple mechanics will hold your child's attention – and improve fine motor skills at the same time.
Ready for red. Help your child learn to recognize colors by pointing out each one and slowly saying its name. Reinforce the learning by pointing out things in baby's world that are the same color: "See? Your shirt is red 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
Drum Beat
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Even at this young age, your baby has rhythm! She loves to pound and make noise, so use those skills to turn her into an amateur percussionist. Here are several ways to enjoy the beat of the drums.
Materials
Highchair and tray
Wooden spoon, basting brush, and other "drumsticks"
Foil, metal pot, plastic bowl, pie pan, newspaper, and other items to pound
Instructions
Seat your baby in the highchair with the tray attached.
Offer her a wooden spoon and show her how to pound it on the tray.
Next offer her the basting brush and any other "drumsticks," one at a time.
Then offer her different items to beat, such as a metal pot, a plastic bowl, a pie pan, a newspaper, and so on.
Stuff cotton in your ears so you won't get a headache! (Just kidding!)
Safety
Watch that your baby doesn't hit herself or others with the drumsticks.
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