by Arianna Larson

Created on: January 19, 2010

Children start learning from the moment they are born and how you interact with them can be very beneficial for their growth and development, as well as creates an even stronger bond between you and your baby.

When it comes to children, playing is the best way to learn.  By playing your infant will improve his/her social, emotional, physical skills and intellectual/cognitive development.

Interesting activities that stimulate your baby do not have to be hard nor expensive; however there are some considerations like age and temperament that is better to be kept in mind in order for these activities to be fun enjoyable to both parents and infants. In addition to this, remember that in little kids, repetition is very important.

-Birth to 3 months

Babies are interested in everything that is happening in their surroundings, and even though they won’t necessarily interact with you, they are absorbing lots of information and learning from the time they are spending with you.

Engage all of your baby’s senses; touch, hearing, smell and sight.

Singing and Dancing: This is an activity that will work for both newborns and infants. Through a lullaby a baby will not only be soothed to sleep but also is introduced to language; older kids can also use those songs to identify words they have learned and practice speech by singing. Both parents and kids could also play silly and come up with new songs that describe the actions that they are doing at the time of singing for example.

Look at new objects: Everything is new for a baby, so take advantage of all the objects that are in your house; they will provide lots of entertainment. Just make sure that the object won’t hurt your baby. Each room in your home can be use for a new game in where you can teach your baby new words while they experiment new shapes, colors and textures.

Peek-a-boo: with a piece of clothing and one of his stuffed animals you could play a game that will help your son or daughter with his or her intellectual development. This might not register until later in your baby’s life but you can certainly start now.

-4 to 6 months

At this age your infant is more alert, will interact with you more and is a lot more physical. For the most part they have already learned how to roll over and might even be able to sit up. Holding objects and putting them in his or her mouth is one of the favorite things in the world.

Blowing bubbles: Bought at a store or made at home with soap and water,

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