do you have an infant?what sort of activities do you do during the day?

Question

Apart from reading books, playing and talking any other activity or interesting thing you would suggest for a baby?

Answer 1

It depends on how old they are but you can incorperate learning into fun even this early. These are some ideas you can use, some are younger and some are older (infants 2 months- 18 months) Hope they give you a few ideas of some things to do!


Paint: fingerpaints for younger childen, paintbrushes for older children. let the learn about mixing colors for younger children, if your child is really young put them in their high schair and let them "paint' the tray with whipped cream and some food coloring.

put a word of the day on the refrigerator and try and use it with your child all day (it can be any language you wish)

Make and play with puppets

Sing songs, try singing in rounds or in different languages.

spend time on the computer together. For infants and toddlers you can buy little keyboards, a mouse and programs, or just let them hit letters on a blank screen to see what it does.

use flash cards for shapes and colors and walk around the house and find as many items that match that (ie: orange fruit, orange toy, an orange shirt)

make a cardboard box into: a car, a house, a bed, ect. color it and play in it. or take many boxes and stack like blocks

Hide some toys around a room and ask for help finding them. (help me find all the ducks they ran away. or all the food for my shopping cart)

Put pillows and cushions on the floor for infants to climb on/over.

Group items (3 or 4) with one different and have your child pick which is differnent.

Draw faces on paper plates with different emotions. Name them or ask your child to name how the person is feeling. Put on a show for your little on with the faces.

Hide a toy under a cup, mix them up and let them try and find it.

Respond to young infants babbling by talking to the baby as if he understands everything you're saying. These early conversations help expand his vocabulary and help them understand the pattern of language.

Hide something that plays a long song or noise and have them listen to find it.

Make big flash cards of letters and name them. Play games with them like memory, make a path on the floor out of them, or lay out 6 or more at a time and have them find you the card (ex: "can you bring me the letter A?")

Infant can play Copycat, slowly stick out your tongue at your baby, or blink your eyes, ect. and see if they copy you (this is great for even newborns)

When your baby lies on her back, hold a small brightly coloured toy in front of her. Gradually move it to one side, and she'll follow it with her eyes. By 3 months she'll be able to follow it from one side to the other, then start moving it befind you or behind something else.

Make a touch bag: fill it with items of different textures (smooth, bumpy, silky, fluffy, rough ect.) infants-rub the items on their hands, feet and cheek. toddlers/young children-have them geuss what each item they feel is.

Clap, pat your legs, hit a drum and make simple beats

Hold your infant in your lap and put your index finger in your baby’s hand. He probably will grasp your finger, as this is a natural reflex with newborns. Each time he grasps your finger, say positive words like 'that’s my finger,' 'you've got me.'

Bounce your baby on your knee while singing songs and rhymes.

Go together! collect items that go together like a sock and shoe or a spoon and bowl, lay them out and have the child match the items that go together.

Play peek-a-boo, use a toy and a scarf for a bit of a change, if your baby is older play by leaving the room and re-apearing, for toddlers play hide and seek.

Buy a crawl tunnel or cut a large hole in the box to let infants crawl through.

Experiment with throwing different objects like balls, crumpled paper, and scarves into a laundry basket.

Save different bottle caps and lids (not pop bottles though as they are too small) and draw one face part on each. (a happy mouth, a sad mouth, a small right eye, a Big left eye, a nose with a moustach, ect) and let your child make different faces and talk about how people look different and about feelings.

Provide different sized containers and lids (like tupperware) and let them find which fits where.

infants- love to rip and crinkle paper. lay them on a sheet of wrapping paper to crinkle as they wiggle or let them experiment ripping and crumpling paper (supervise so they dont eat it)

take a paper bag and make an "underground" home for one of your childs stuffed animals that would live under ground (a fox, rabbit, groundhog, mole ect.) decorate the bag with crayons and markers making the bottom half look like dirt, worms, ect and the top half like grass and ant hill, ect. glue leaves and sticks to the top half. Discuss how and why animals live underground.

Play simmon says (or mommy says)

play "pigs fly" with one or more kids: call out an animal name and have them flap their arms like wings when an animal flies and stop when the animal doesn't.

pull out the pots and pans as well as whisks and funnels to play with.

Using a flashlight shine it slowly around the room on the floor and the walls and watch your infant follow it with her eyes or chase it on the floor.

Get mr.yuck stickers (avalible at local posion control center and specific city buildings like health centers) and label with your child all thats poisonus or icky to eat. (be sure to demonstrate emotions of yucky and no-no's)

An infant can recognise a tone of voice before they can understand the words. Try singing or reading a story in high voices and in a low voices.

play song games or finger games( hokey pokey, itsey bitsey spider, ect.)

Tickle Game: hold your baby's palm carefully, trace around the edge of it as you say the first part, then walk your fingers up her arm for the second part "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear. One step, two steps..." Then tickle her under the arm and say: "Tickly under there!"

infants- take them around the house and name everything you are doing (opening a drawer) and everything you see (cat)

An infants sense of smell is very highly developed and stronger then an adults. Give your baby an opportunity to experience different smells. Go outside and smell a flower, open up some cinnimon, and smell a freshly cut orange. (avoid air fresheners though as they increase the risk of developing asthma.)

Go to your childs toy box and pull everything out. you and your child will both be surprised by the toys you find that haven't been played with in a while. when they pick a few interesting toys put the rest back.

Use 2 littler plastic pop bottles as pins and a ball and go bowling.

Make a fist with both hands and tuck your thumb under the fingers and say
"Jack in the box sits so still. Won’t you come out? Yes, I will." On the words “yes I will,” pop up your thumbs.

Answer 2

Babies are like little sponges so take them places, expose them to new things, new views, new textures, new sounds.

My 5 month old son loves music so we attend a music class, listen to CDs and play with little instruments. We also go to storytime at the library, Mommy and Baby exercise classes, walk outside and inside (he loves the grocery store with all the lights and colours). We also read books, play in the exer-saucer, play mat. Check out fisherprice.com for age appropriate play ideas and babycenter.com newsletter which emails you new age appropriate games and activities each week.

Answer 3

I walk baby around and show her things in the house.

She hangs out in all her toys...bouncer, swing, mostly lays on the floor.

She is learning to crawl and scoot so its good for her to have the room to do so.

She watches baby eistien
But I usually always play with her, tickle her, carry her, and love her and give her attention...

Answer 4

one thing that my son likes is I sit him in his chair (either the Bumbo or his bouncy seat) and I put on fun music and I dance around in silly dances (I'll even do some aerobic moves) and he laughs and smiles. And I'm getting some exercise as well as having fun with my baby.

Answer 5

if the weather is nice, take them for a walk and let them play in the grass, my daughter loved that.

Answer 6

need an age to answer but i have awesome ideas,.