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Activities
Your baby could hear you talking even before they were born. They recognised your voice right from the start. They might not understand the words that you say, but they will be listening and learning. You can talk about what you are doing right now and what you are going to do.
Blowing bubbles can be a fun activity to do on a very windy day. Watch the wind catch the bubbles and lift them high into the air. Try and track an individual bubble. As the wind catches the bubble and lifts it higher make predictions as to how high it will climb.
Let’s build. What shall we create? Will it be a zoo for the wild animals or a house for the snails from the garden to hide in? Maybe we can stack and stack and stack the blocks until they reach the sky!
Children are naturally inquisitive and want to know about the world and what is happening around them. The way they express their wonder and curiosity is by asking questions. Your child might ask questions about what they see and hear or about where you are going.
Is it smaller or bigger? Will it fit or not? How will I know if it fits in the box? When you are doing things with your child point out the different sizes of objects. Get them to compare them to things that they know are really big, like an elephant, or really small, like an ant.
Children naturally want to move and be active and will try out different ways for their bodies to move. You can combine language with your child’s natural interest in moving. As you talk, sing or chant with your child you can combine action rhymes and words with movement patterns. Take turns leading the rhyming and instructions. You could make up nonsense words that rhyme.
Next time you have a few minutes or you are waiting for the bus to arrive play peekaboo with your baby. You can play using your hands to cover your face. You can also hide behind a book or a paper and pop out from behind it. Before you start make sure you are facing your baby and have their attention.
Have you ever noticed how much writing there is on clothing? Some of it’s on the outside and some is on the inside. Point out the writing as you help your child get dressed. Look at the writing on your T-shirt. Can you find the letter that your name starts with?
It is never too early to begin singing to your baby. You can even start before they are born. Sing songs that you know. Your baby won’t mind if you are not a great singer. You can sing about what you are doing or looking at.
There are many different ways that we can communicate and talk to people. You can have a conversation with others even when you are not face-to-face or in the same room. One way is by using the phone. Next time you are going to make a phone call talk to your child about what happens.
