Home activities for you and your baby
While we’re all living a very strange life of social distancing, it can be hard to know what to do with your young baby. The first few months of a newborn’s life might make parents feel like they’re on a never-ending wheel going round and round – feed, nappy change, sleep, wash, feed, repeat. During this strange time when you can’t even get out to meet other mums, you might be feeling even more frustrated and wonder how you’re supposed to fill your time with your wee baby, especially if you’re also sleep deprived!
Don’t despair – there are lots of things that you can do which are all helpful in your baby’s cognitive and physical development and some of them may even benefit you. These activities are for babies up to six months old but you can adapt any and all for an older child.
Developing language
Read any novel to your baby aloud
Recite the alphabet with different accents
Sing your favourite songs to them as well as nursery rhymes and lullabyes
Have a pretend conversation about the weather
Imitate the noises they make
Say their name over and over
Take turns making noises – you coo, wait for your baby to make a noise, then make a different noise. It’s helping to develop conversation
Repeat sounds they make and add words
Answer them when they call out
Physical development
Flex and extend their hands
Clap their hands to the beat of your favourite song
Touch their hands to their head
Cross-body touch with their hands
Use a textured glove to touch their hands – see how they react
Flex and extend their feet
Make a scissors motion with their feet
Dance together
Use a textured glove to touch their feet – see how they react
Cross-body touch with their feet
Give baby some tummy time if their neck is strong enough to hold up their head – use toys and mirrors during tummy time to keep their interest
Lie down on the floor on your tummy and do some face-to-face tummy time
Encourage your baby to reach for toys by placing them a little distance away from them
Sit them up while holding them and sway to some music.
Baby sit-ups – if your baby has good head control, lay them on their back, place your hands under their arms and gently guide them to a sitting position. As they gain muscle tone and strength, do these sit-ups by holding their hands and slowly bringing them to sit.
Follow the leader – see how many actions your baby can imitate in a row by tapping the table, opening and closing your hands, clapping and waving. Start with something your baby is already doing like banging their fist on the table.
Flying – lay your baby belly-down across your lap and place your hands around their midsection so they’re fully supported. Then gently lift them up and move them back, down, back and forth. Add sound effects to surprise baby.
Developing visual ability
Move objects that they can track with their eyes
Have a staring contest and see who wins
Show your babies object with bright colours
Hold objects on a string above them
Take them outside and show them leaves and flowers
Using a baby-safe mirror, show your baby their reflection and ask ‘who is that?’. Repeat with your own reflection.
Playful fun
Blow belly raspberries
Imitate their movements
Show them sign language motions: https://wetalkmakaton.org/ or https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a547348/baby-signing
Dance to your baby – they’ll love to watch you
Shake a rattle and see if they will try to grasp it
Use counting rhymes on their fingers and toes
Do bicycle legs and ‘toes to the nose’
Play peek-a-boo
Sway side-to-side while holding baby, gently hum or sing at the same time
Practice the thrill of anticipation – hold your hands high above your head and quickly come down to tickle baby. They’ll soon start to understand the repetition and will probably laugh before you even tickle them.
Play with toys that make noise.
Let them explore your face with their hands.
Bounce baby on your knee and sing anyone of these rhymes: https://www.litforlife.com/downloads/bncyrhym.pdf
During story time, replace the main character’s name with your baby’s name.
Document their hand and foot prints in a baby book.
Splash in a sink
Relive your wedding day or another big family day – play your wedding/celebratory DVD and point out all the guests that your baby knows. They’ll be amazed to see them on television.
Learn a new language – find free language courses online and practice them around your baby. You can also find children’s storybooks in different languages that you can read to them. Your baby may not actually pick up any words but research has shown that a baby’s exposure to another language can help to improve their mastery of foreign languages later on in life.
This time will pass and we will soon be back again with classes and meet ups in real life. Until then, treasure this time with your wee one because time passes all too quickly.