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 | Cookie Cook *
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| | The kitchen offers a variety of ways to teach your baby a number of skills—everything from language development, to motor skills, to cognitive growth. Let your baby help you cook his first cookie!
| Materials: | | Refrigerator cookie dough | | Rolling pin | | Flour | | Cookie cutters | | Cookie sheet | | Candy sprinkles | | Oven |
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Cognitive skills | | |
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Fine motor development | | |
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Language development | | |
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Math and science | |  |
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| | What to do:
1. Roll out refrigerator cookie dough on a lightly floured surface. Let your baby do some rolling, too.
2. Offer your baby cookie cutters and show him how to press them into the dough.
3. Place the cut-out cookies on a cookie sheet.
4. Let your baby sprinkle the cookies with candy decorations.
5. Bake according to package directions; remove and allow to cool.
6. Eat your cookies with a glass of milk!
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| | Safety: Watch your baby in the kitchen at all times to make sure he doesn't cut, prick, or burn himself. |
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| Frozen Fun *
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| | As your baby grows and develos, he enjoys the properties of water in many creative ways—in a bowl, from a hose, or in a bathtub.
| Materials: | | An assortment of plastic containers | | Plastic figurines | | Freezer | | Bathtub |
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Cause and effect | | |
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Exploration | | |
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Motor development | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Place plastic figures into a plastic container.
2. Fill container with water and freeze.
3. Fill a bathtub with warm water.
4. Place your baby in the bathtub.
5. Remove the ice from the container and drop into the bath.
6. Let your baby explore the properties of the ice in the water and help him try to figure out what happens as the ice melts.
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| | Safety: Keep the water warm enough for baby. You may have to add more warm water as the ice cools the water temperature. Watch your baby in the bath at all times. |
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| Sticker Fun *
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| | This treasure hunt will have your baby searching right under her nose. With this game of hide-and-seek, your baby's whole body is a winner!
| Materials: | | 20 to 30 paper stickers | | Paper and pencil | | Your baby's body |
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Body awareness | | |
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Fine motor development | | |
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Object permanence | | |
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Social interaction | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Buy a variety of paper stickers that will interest your baby.
2. Write a list of all the stickers so you can identify them.
3. Draw an outline of your baby's body on a sheet of paper, both front and back.
4. Stand your baby in the middle of the room and apply stickers all over her body—some hidden, some in plain sight.
5. Read the name of one of the stickers from the list.
6. Have your baby try to find that particular sticker hidden on her body.
7. When she finds it, have her remove it and stick it in the appropriate place on the paper body outline.
8. Continue until all the stickers have been moved from your baby's body to the paper body.
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| | Safety: Don't put any stickers in your baby's hair, and make sure to retrieve all the stickers when the game is over. |
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| Baby Basketball *
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| | Ball games aid the development of eye/hand coordination and gross motor skills for both babies and toddlers, and they give your child a satisfying sense of achievement. Try this basketball game for beginners and who knows where a little practice may lead!
| Materials: | | Large, lightweight plastic or foam ball about 12 inches in diameter | | Large basket, tub, or box, large enough for the ball to fit in easily | | Floor space |
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Eye/hand coordination | | |
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Gross motor development | | |
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Social interaction | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Set your basket or other large container against a wall inside or outside the house.
2. Stand your baby about a foot away from the basket and give him the ball.
3. Encourage him to throw the ball into the basket.
4. If the game is too easy for your budding NBA player, have him move back one or two steps. If it’s too hard, have him move forward.
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| | Safety: If you’re playing indoors, be sure the area is clear of valuables that could be broken. |
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| Red Light, Green Light *
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| | Just as your baby starts to get going, call out Red Light and make him stop! But he won’t mind—you are just playing Red Light, Green Light. And on the Green Light, he gets to go again!
| Materials: | | String or tape | | Large floor space |
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Balance and coordination | | |
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Cause and effect | | |
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Gross motor development | | |
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Listening skills | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Place a length of string or tape down on the floor at one end of the room.
2. Place another length on the other side of the room, parallel to the first.
3. Clear the floor space between the two lines.
4. Stand your baby on one side of the room and tell him to stay behind the line until you say otherwise.
5. Go stand behind the other line.
6. Tell your baby that when you say, “Green Light!” he must try to get to the other side of the room and cross the other line. But if you say, “Red Light!” he must stop and not move.
7. Play a practice game by facing him and watching him as you call out, “Red Light!” and, “Green Light!” Correct him if necessary and explain the rules again.
8. Once you’ve had a successful practice game, turn around and face away from your baby. Then call out, “Green Light!”
9. Quickly call out, “Red Light!” and turn around, to catch him if he moves.
10. Keep playing until he crosses the line.
11. Give him a turn to be the traffic cop.
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| | Safety: Be sure all obstacles are out of the way so your baby doesn’t trip. |
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| Animal Walk *
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| | Dr. Doolittle sings a song called "Talk Like the Animals," but your baby can "Walk Like the Animals" with a little assistance from you. All you need are a little imagination and a creative step!
| Materials: | | Pictures of animals | | Marching music | | Floor space |
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Creativity and imagination | | |
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Gross motor development | | |
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Identification and classification | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Pick out pictures of animals that have a distinct walk, such as an elephant (sways back and forth), a cat (tiptoes), a dog (runs), a snake (slithers), a crane (high-steps), a duck (waddles), a mouse (scurries), a spider (uses all its arms and legs), and so on.
2. Put on some marching music to inspire your Animal Walk.
3. Stand in the middle of a large floor space and show your baby the first animal picture.
4. Then begin to walk like the animal, using your body creatively.
5. Encourage your baby to follow your footsteps.
6. After a few moments, pick another animal and change your walk to suit.
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| | Safety: Be sure the floor space is clear so your baby doesn't trip over anything. |
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| Buried Treasure *
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| | Here’s a game of Hide and Seek, but in this version, what’s hidden is not a person, but a treasure, and the pirate gives clues to its hidden location. Just make sure the treasure is something worth finding after all that work!
| Materials: | | Toy or treat | | Room in which to hide the toy |
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Cognitive development and thinking skills | | |
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Language development | | |
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Object permanence | | |
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Problem solving | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Choose a special toy or treat for your baby that will make the search worthwhile.
2. Hide the item in plain sight, but slightly disguised, so finding it won’t be too easy or too hard.
3. Bring your baby into the room and tell her you’ve hidden a treasure.
4. Give her clues by saying, “You’re getting closer,” or, “You’re getting farther.”
5. When your baby finds the item, hide it again and again until she gets tired of the game. Or hide a different item each time to hold her interest longer.
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| | Safety: Make sure the room is safe, so your baby won’t get into anything that will break or hurt her as she plays. |
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| Dancing Baby *
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| | Your baby has rhythm! All you have to do is turn on the music and he turns on the dancing. So get out on the dance floor and join him for Dancing Baby fun!
| Materials: | | Cassette or CD Player | | Danceable music | | Floor space |
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Coordination and balance | | |
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Listening skills | | |
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Motor movement | | |
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Social interaction | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Select a variety of dance music, such as Raffi tunes, classical, rock and roll, hip-hop, and show tunes.
2. Bring your baby into the middle of the floor and turn on the music. Let him dance any way he wants, letting the music guide his rhythm.
3. Switch music and see how your baby changes his dancing to adjust to the new tune.
4. After a few minutes of dancing, play a game. Explain to your baby that when you turn the music off, everyone must freeze. Then turn on the music and dance together. Every so often, turn off the music and enjoy each other's goofy posture.
5. Continue dancing to different kinds of music, making up dances as you go.
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| | Safety: Make sure the floor isn't too slick; you don't want your baby to slip and fall! You may want to have your baby dance barefoot, for better traction. |
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| Muffin Mix *
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| | If your baby is a picky eater—or a picky person, in general—here’s a game that makes it fun to be picky! And this game is tasty, too, since your baby can eat the game materials as you play!
| Materials: | | Muffin tin | | 6 types of dry cereals, oat rings, rice cereal, flaked cereal, shaped cereal, etc. | | 6 bowls |
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Classification skills | | |
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Exploration of tastes | | |
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Fine motor development | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Pour a small amount of each cereal into a separate bowl.
2. Set the bowls in a row on the table.
3. Set the muffin tin behind the bowls, within easy reach of your baby.
4. Place one piece of each cereal into each of the six muffin cups: each cereal should have its own cup.
5. Ask your baby to match the bowls of cereal to the samples in the muffin tin.
6. Have him fill each muffin cup with the matching cereal, using his fingers.
7. Tell your baby he can eat some of the cereals as he plays!
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| | Safety: If you use something other than cereal, be sure your baby won’t choke on the foods. |
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| Same or Different? *
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| | Your baby’s cognitive skills develop rapidly during this time. She now has the rudimentary ability to classify objects based on their similarities and differences. Here’s a game that enhances that skill.
| Materials: | | Groups of 3 toys, 2 identical and 1 similar, such as playing cards, stuffed animals, blocks, pictures, dolls, medium-sized balls, and so on | | Table |
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Classification and sorting | | |
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Distinguishing similar and different properties | | |
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Fine-tuning of cognitive skills | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Collect items in groups of three. Each group should have two identical items and one slightly different item.
2. Place each group of three in a separate bag.
3. Seat your baby at the table and place one bag on the table.
4. Remove the three items from the bag and set them on the table.
5. Ask your baby which item is not the same as the other two. Let her think about it for a few minutes. If she has trouble, ask questions about the items to help her make the distinction.
6. Bring out the remaining bags, one by one, and let her continue guessing which items don’t belong.
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| | Safety: Be sure the items your choose are safe for your baby to handle. |
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| Touch It! *
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| | Parents always seem to tell their babies, “Don’t touch!” Here’s a chance to say, “Touch it!” instead, with a guessing game that will entertain and educate your baby.
| Materials: | | 6 small paper bags | | 6 unusual items to touch |
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Cognitive skills | | |
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Exploration | | |
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Mental representation, imagination | | |
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Sense of touch | | |
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| | What to do:
1. Fill each of six paper bags with an unusual item that has interesting sensory properties, such as a textured ball, sponge, wad of cotton, squeaky toy, familiar toy, bottle brush, and so on.
2. Close the bags and set them on the floor.
3. Bring your baby into the room and seat her on the floor next to the bags.
4. Choose one of the bags and open the top.
5. Have your baby stick her hand into the bag without looking inside. Demonstrate with your own hand if your baby is reluctant to explore the contents of the bag with only her hand.
6. Ask your baby what she feels. See if she can guess the item.
7. If she can’t, put your hand in the bag and describe the properties of the item to your baby.
8. If she still can’t guess, let her pull the item out for identification.
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| | Safety: Be sure the items are safe to touch, with no sharp edges or sticky points. |
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