I am always trying to think of ways to nurture my children’s
minds, bodies, and spirits through play. I am a mother of
a newborn, Logan, and a three year old, Sierra. At first,
it was a challenge for me to think of activities to do with
my children when they were very young. As I experimented
and talked with other moms, I discovered a lot of things
we could do together with just a few basic supplies. Below
is a list of activities that both of my children really
liked in the first few months of life. I include Sierra
in a lot of these activities now that we have a new baby.
She loves to play with her younger brother, and he loves
it too! Whenever doing activities with my children, I keep
safety at the forefront of my mind. I always use baby appropriate
materials, play in a safe location, and provide constant
supervision.
Singing - I started playing
music and singing to Sierra without having any children’s
music around the house. I would sing my music and some of
the songs I remembered from my childhood. Since then, I
have acquired a lot of children’s music. My children
are not particular about what songs I sing or play, because
they just love the music. Sierra dances around the room
and sings with me. Logan watches us both while smiling and
moving his arms and legs.
Making Faces, Sounds, and Hand
Movements - I make different faces at Logan while
experimenting with the distance between his face and mine.
I try smiling, frowning, sticking out my tongue and more.
I also make silly sounds and Logan usually smiles and gets
excited. Logan also loves to look at my fingers and hands.
I point to him, move my fingers, and let him feel my hands.
Mirrors - I find that
Logan loves looking at himself in a mirror. I often carry
him around the house and let him see himself. He also has
a little, plastic, toy mirror that stands on the ground.
Sierra loves making sure the toy mirror is positioned just
right so he can see himself, and she loves setting it back
up when it gets knocked over.
Rattles - I find there
are many rattles with different shapes, sounds, and grips,
so experimenting with different rattles at different ages
is fun. The softer rattles seem better as Logan learns to
hold and shake the rattle. Otherwise, he gets very excited
and has bumped his lip and cheek.
Batting Toys- Logan loves
looking and batting at hanging toys on the baby play gym.
I move the toys around to experiment with different angles
and positions so that it is easier or harder for him to
reach.
Books - Logan and Sierra
both liked looking at books starting at a really young age.
My favorite books to use are soft cloth or board books with
big simple pictures and few or no words. I point and talk
about the pictures. Both children would look, grab, and
try to chew the pages when they were really little. Now,
Sierra “reads” these books to Logan.
Talking to Baby - One
fun activity we do is go on walks around the house, yard,
or neighborhood. I talk to Logan and describe things as
we explore. I usually carry him or put him in a front carrier.
Playgroups - Hood River
and Parkdale have various playgroups for new moms and babies.
It is fun to go to get out of the house and collaborate
with other new moms. Through discussion, ideas and strategies
are shared. As Logan gets older he enjoys looking at and
observing the other children and the new surroundings.
I have discovered that there are many books available that
describe fun games and activities that babies love. Check
out the Hood River County Library for more ideas!
