Babies learn through play, and that’s a great thing for parents and caregivers. Why? Because it means that we can teach them as we all have fun! And that goes for pretty much any game you want to play – there’s always something for your little one to learn, from shape and colour recognition to facial expressions and motor development; the things they can practice are almost limitless. And that’s true of nearly every activity you can do – as we’ll look at now!
Feeding Time
Believe it or not, you and your baby both need to learn this skill – and it is a skill. Don’t feel like it’s just you if you’re struggling to establish breastfeeding – because it certainly isn’t. Seek advice from your midwife, lactation consultant, or other maternity care professional. They are there to help and can investigate what’s going on so they can help you overcome any issues you have.
Aside from learning how to feed, though, it’s a great way to bond with baby – and since not everyone bonds the moment bubs is born, that’s an incredibly important thing. No matter how you choose to feed, they learn about you just by being close to you. Babies in those first days rely on their sense of smell, and that’s because the rest of their senses haven’t had a chance to develop yet. They can’t see much further than your face, so when they’re gazing up at you, they learn everything they can about you. Of course, this is all just a beginning, but it shows that even in those early days, though it may seem small, every action is something they are learning from. Isn’t that great?
Stories
This is another activity that teaches your baby no matter what age they are – and yep, that includes the newborn stage. It’s not quite as apparent when they’re tiny, but they absolutely are learning as you tell them stories, whether reading from a book or even the news, passing on oral histories, making up tales on the spot, or just general chatter – any form of communication is vital for little ones. They learn the sound of your voice and how words are formed. They don’t quite have the motor skills to form words, but they are very much taking every sound on board, absorbing how the people around them communicate, so when they do start to speak, they’ve got a solid foundation supporting them. In fact, research has found that children who are read to regularly have larger vocabularies than those who aren’t and are exposed to a greater variety of language than most people use in day-to-day life. So that means reading or telling stories serves several amazing functions – it keeps your kids entertained, teaches them language skills without too much effort, and helps build their imaginations. As a bonus extra, fiction, in particular (though it applies to any book, including nonfiction), has been shown to boost empathy in young ones. It also lets you take time out of your day to relax, grounding yourself with your child. Storytime really is a win-win type of activity.
Tummy Time
As your baby gets older, they’ll need to start working on their physical development; tummy time is an integral part of that. Your maternity carer will give you instructions on how to effectively introduce tummy time, and it’s important to follow those directions as they can see the environment you’re in. But essentially, it’s pretty much what it says on the box – you’re giving them time on their tummy. Why? Because babies spend so much time on their backs, they need time on their tummies to help them build the strength they need in their necks, backs and core. As they get more used to it, they’ll also start pushing up using their arms (cute little baby press-ups!), and that is how they gradually become able to keep their heads steady, hold themselves up, roll over, and ultimately learn to crawl and walk. It’s not unusual for them to be unhappy about it to start with – it’s not a position they’re usually in, and until that strength gets a chance to build up, many babies get a little upset. It’s important to keep up their tummy time despite this – even short sessions of a few minutes each day will go a long way to increasing their stamina.
Once they’ve started to develop, it opens up a whole new world for them. They can begin playing with toys – which is often a great way to get them to stick it out, as the toys they want will often distract them from their dislike of the activity itself. Of course, not every baby has an aversion to tummy time. Plenty of others love it, and providing toys for them to explore makes it even better!
Music and Dance
Singing songs, dancing while you hold them, and quietly introducing them to instruments – even something as simple as a toy xylophone – are fantastic ways to form connections with your baby, and these activities can continue far beyond the toddler stage. Music isn’t just fun – it’s enormously beneficial for young brains and bodies, playing a role in cognitive, emotional, and speech development, as well as improving memory, communication and social skills. Instruments (and again, these can just be toy versions rather than having to splash out on the real thing) also give children a great way to boost their fine and gross motor skills and give them a first look at things like problem-solving. Rhythm and tempo assist with pattern recognition. Music and dance in general, on top of all those already outstanding benefits, can give children the chance to learn other skills such as sharing and turn-taking – in a fun way that allows it to become entirely natural for them.
These are just a few of the activities you can do with your little one that cost almost nothing in terms of time and money but are enormously beneficial – not just for them but for you and your bond as well. You can use these as a springboard to other ideas, but remember – while there are genuine developmental benefits to these, the main one is that they allow you to spend quality time together.