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The ability to control her body has begun. This comes from the head down, and
center outward from her shoulders to her fingers and hips to toes. If you watch
baby carefully you will see the neck, then the shoulders and back
strengthening.
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When sitting up, baby needs only slight support and may sit briefly unaided.
The strength is there, but not always the balance.
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Baby can bang her rattle and shout at the same time. Soon, she can
simultaneously have an intention and perform an act.
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She begins to look for toys she drops.
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She is learning to join in activities that are centered around her.
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Baby books for patting, pointing and talking
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Textured ball
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Recorded songs and music
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| Your child may be itching to become mobile right about now—and
maybe all it takes is a little incentive for her to learn how to get those arms
and legs working together. A toy that invites baby to crawl after it can be
just the ticket to encourage trying out that skill. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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As baby's physical skills are blossoming, play active games to exercise gross
motor skills. If your baby is crawling, make a game of pushing the toy across
the floor and encouraging her to chase after it. As you play, you may need to
demonstrate the object of the game. Always remember to praise her efforts.
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Make a game of simply rolling or sliding the toy back and forth across the
floor to each other. It can be a good workout for baby's eye/hand coordination
and manual dexterity.
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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When a toy responds to your baby's actions with fun rewards, it encourages your
baby to repeat the exercise many times ... and all the while, she's
learning about cause-and-effect. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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Introducing your baby to action-reaction play will further develop her eye-hand
coordination. Before playing, start the ball rolling by demonstrating some of
the toy's specific features.
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This is a great time to focus on the concepts of in and out, open and close,
etc. As you play, encourage baby to do something with the toy by herself … what
will happen? She'll be greeted with a fun surprise that will make her want to
play this game again and again!
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Depending on their features, you can also use these toys to introduce other
concepts to baby—empty and full, for example. Link your actions to words: as
she puts an object inside the toy, tell her that it is full. Help baby take
objects back out again, and hold the toy up so she can see inside, saying, “Now
it is empty.” As you explain, emphasize the words “empty” and “full”.
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| Developing eye-hand coordination is one of the biggest challenges
of baby's first year. A toy with stacking parts is a great way for baby to
learn looking and touching skills as she plays. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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At this age, baby will be very interested in putting the toy rings on and
taking them off, particularly if the toy reacts to her actions. As baby plays,
teach some new words: “The ring is on. The ring is off.”
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Use stacking toys to introduce other simple words and descriptions like big and
little and top and bottom. You can also use these toys to reinforce her
understanding of cause-and-effect.
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Help your child make connections between words and concepts by talking about
the colors of the toy as your child plays with it: “That's the big yellow cup.”
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| Because baby's becoming more aware of her surroundings,
she’s intrigued by everyday objects. Toys that look like familiar objects help
feed that curiosity. These toys also provide her a safe, fun and
intellectually-challenging way to explore and learn. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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Take baby on a “sound” tour of your house. Ring the doorbell, turn on the
clock’s alarm, start the computer. As you make your way through the house,
tell baby what each sound means: “Company’s coming!” “Time to get up!”
“I’m ready to read my e-mail!”
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To foster your child’s awareness of cause-and-effect relationships, allow her
to try her hand at some safe activities that illustrate the concept. For
example, help baby turn a light switch or a faucet on and off so she
can see how her actions make things happen.
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Open the cupboard and pull out pots, pans and wooden spoons. Watch baby smile
as she realizes, “I made that sound!” As she plays, talk to her about what you
see and hear. She’ll enjoy the sound of your voice, and you’ll be helping
baby's speech develop.
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Read her board books about familiar rituals, such as mealtime, bathtime, and
playtime. She’ll love seeing other children “in her shoes”!
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All children develop at their own pace, and reach milestones at different times. The highlights
mentioned in this web site are meant as approximate guidelines only. If you have any
questions about your child's development, consult your healthcare provider. |
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