From the moment babies come into this word, all their senses are awoken. They want to see, touch, smell and already, they love your company! Take the opportunity to offer activities that will help them discover the world, and progress in t various developmental milestones with these 15 games.
Early games for babies: before 3 months, the time of cuddles
Ever since birth, your baby likes to be rocked and cuddled. The more time passes, and the more these rituals turn into games. Baby responds with smiles to your cuddles, wiggles under your tickles and reaches out to you in anticipation of the next “tickle-tickle”.
#1. The Tickle Spot
Nothing is lighter than a breath on the skin. Gently tickle your baby with a small feather. You can also use a soft piece of (faux) fur, with which you touch the different parts of baby’s face or arms. All these delicious sensations help babies become aware of their body.
#2. Heart to Heart
Choose a soft melody and hold your baby against you, one hand under baby’s bottom and the other hand gently holding their head against your chest. Just swing back and forth, in tune with the melody, trying to match your breath to your baby's. The scent of your skin, the beating of your heart and the swaying rhythm of the music delight baby. In addition, feeling held helps baby develop a sense of balance.
Baby games: 3-6 months, the pleasure of surprises
Babies are now able to anticipate actions and when what happens does not correspond to what they expect, they express their surprise and joy. This is the time to vary the tempo of your tickles, to walk your hand where it will surprise them ... And do not be afraid to knock them off balance, they love it! You could play these fun games:
#3. Flying baby
Lie down on the floor or on your bed, legs bent, feet up. Put your baby lying down on your feet, facing you, and hold baby’s hands firmly. Hold on, we are taking off! Your legs rise slowly and move from left to right and from front to back. Hold on, we are landing! Then come back down and stop. Guaranteed laughter! In addition, this is an exercise that allows babies to work their sense of balance.
#4. What's at the end of the line?
You need a string and a toy. Tie the toy at the end of the string, then tape the string to the side of a table. Sit down with your little one, facing you. The goal of the game is to make the toy appear and disappear in front of your baby. Shake it under baby’s nose ... then let it fall, still attached to the string. Be as surprised as baby: where did it go? Then give them the string and encourage them to pull it towards themselves. See the toy reappear will delight!
#5. The little beast that goes up
Put your fingers forward on baby’s skin while whispering "It's the little beast that goes up, up ..." At the end of the race, the little beast stops. Announce: "I think he'll go tickle-tickle ", and you end up with a tickle. Baby will surely laugh with happiness and ask for more, already ready to undergo the onslaught of a new little beast.
Baby games: 6-12 months, the world in motion
Now that babies are sitting well, they enjoy a little more “physical” games, which require active participation. They also begin to be sensitive to sounds and to imitate them. Finally, they are fascinated by objects. A passion that will grow...
#6. Run, little horse!
With your baby in front of you on your knees, gently bounce them while holding firmly under their arms. First step (your legs slowly move), then gradually trotting, galloping ... At the end, the horse unbalances his rider (your knees part slightly). Acceleration helps your little one prepare for the final fall. Baby works his/her memory of the rhythm and develops his/her capacities of anticipation.
#7. Puppet show
Nothing like puppet games to develop baby’s language. With a household glove and some colored markers, glue and small pieces of felt, turn your five fingers into little characters that you will bring to life under the eyes of your child. Put baby on your lap, and start the show...
#8. Feel the rhythm
No need for sophisticated toys to make music. Use wooden spoons and saucepans to create drums, or fill small boxes or plastic bottles with different materials: sand, pebbles, lentils, pearls, coarse salt. Amazing!
#9. Junior bowling champion
Stack empty yoghurt pots, plastic cups or cubes on the floor to form a pyramid and give your child a ball. The goal is of course to crush the stack. This little game will develop baby’s manual skills and above all make them laugh out loud.
Baby games: 1-2 years, the joys of dexterity
By now, your baby loves more and more games that appeal to an object and require skill. Baby is also at the age where he/she follows you everywhere, imitates your gestures and comes up with stories.
#10. Indoor fort
Take a large packaging box and turn it into a small house. With a cutter, cut a door wide enough to allow your child to enter and exit easily. Open two window, so that baby can see what is going on outside. To finish your work, draw curtains, flowers on the facade, and finally write your child’s name above the door ... That's it! Baby will love finding refuge in this cabin and escape into an imaginary world.
#11. The delivery kid
Collect all the empty packaging you have on hand: boxes of cereals, tea, mashed potatoes, pasta, etc. Put a basket at one end of the room, where you will place all your small groceries, and a second empty one at the other end. Your child's mission is to move all the contents of the full basket into the empty one. Your delivery apprentice can do what they want: carry everything in their arms, use a trolley, a trailer, the tricycle's trunk ... or move them one by one. Excellent for baby’s motor skills and dexterity.
#12. The floor is lava (reinvented)
Inflate a balloon and give it to your baby. They must send it in the air by all means possible (with the head, hands, feet) without ever letting it touch the ground. Not that easy! Baby will learn to coordinate movements and to measure his/her actions.
Baby games for 2-3 years old: a limitless imagination
Playing pretend is now your little one’s favorite pastime. As toddlers express themselves better and better, they invent dialogues, and make characters talk. Take the opportunity to join in!
#13. Mini chef
This is a game that requires your active participation. Ready? You are the client, your toddler is the restaurateur. Give her/him some modeling dough of different colors and order. "Hello, I would like to eat fries, a steak and a slice of cake." They now gets the pleasure of making the dishes you ordered ... You can even throw a curve ball by returning the dishes to the kitchen: "I want my steak more pink please!", “I want a bigger cake please!".
#14. Frozen toys
Fill plastic bags with water and slip in your child's favorite little characters. Close well and place in the freezer. Some hours later, the toys are caught in ice cubes. What an astonishment for your child to observe the melting ice that gradually releases its prisoners! In the summer, toddler can play outside. In the winter ... save this game for bath time.
#15. Simon said
A classic that has delighted generations of children and still does ... If it's Simon who said it, we do it. Otherwise, we do not move. The game can begin: Simon said "stand on one foot", Simon said "touch your nose", "sit down". No, you should not sit down ... Game over! A game that has the merit of teaching toddlers to think before moving. Come on, let's start again!
While spending time with your little one, make sure to also stimulate his/her brain visually by wearing a shirt from Ami and Pash. In this article, you can see how different images and colors affect babies at different stages of their development.
Five golden rules to play with your little ones
- Limit play sequences to four-five minutes. Beyond that, it gets harder to keep their attention.
- Choose the moments when they are relaxed and available. After bath or when they wake up from a nap, for example.
- Do not ask too much: no more than two or three game sequences in a row. They are very quickly excited and need to rest.
- They give signs of disinterest? Stop playing! You will resume a little later.
- Do not be afraid of repetition: a toddler thrives on daily routine. Always play the same games, toddlers love it!
If you do not feel like playing, do not feel guilty
Does doing the four-legged horse on the carpet amuse and relax you? Good! But if if it's not the case, you do not have to force yourself. The important thing is to share good times with your child, no matter how. Watching a cartoon huddled against each other, singing with him/her at the top of your lungs in the car also helps build a strong bond. In addition, your child also needs some free time. It is during free play that children develop their creativity and invent their own games.
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