Fun Start: An idea a week to maximize your baby’s potential from birth to age 5

Pull the two end reels apart, stretching the elastic and slightly separating them. Tap the reels together to produce a tapping sound. Do this several times to interest the baby and encourage him to attempt to grasp the reels. Repeat this procedure and allow the baby to observe the reels and explore them independently.

Does the baby’s head lift in a wobbly fashion as the arms and hands extend and attempt to grasp the reels? Success with grasping is not likely at this age, but the idea is to motivate the baby to attempt it.

Repeat these activities often. These are the beginning stages of crawling.

Listening to Sounds

This activity develops

 an awareness of different sounds

 an awareness of the origin of the different sounds

 listening skills

 an awareness of the rhythm 1-2

Clap your hands together to make a sound. Does the baby listen? Clap your hands again and observe the baby’s response. Take the baby’s hands and attempt to clap them together. Exaggerate the sound and say,‘Clap’each time that you clap.

Take two reels and tap them together to make a sound. Does the baby listen? Hit the reels together again and observe the baby. Continue doing this until the baby appears to be watching.

Take two jar lids and tap them together to make a sound. Does the baby listen? Continue doing this until the baby shows some sign of a response.

Tap two spoons or something else that is safe to use and make a sound. Repeat the tapping with a rhythm of 1-2, 1-2. Talk to the baby and try to encourage him to listen.

At other times throughout the week, try tapping other objects together to the rhythm of 1-2, 1-2. Also clap your hands to this rhythm when you are holding or playing with your baby.

Developing Grasp and Eye-Hand Coordination

This activity develops

 an awareness of a rolling object

 skill in watching a moving object

 rudimentary skill in attempting to grasp

 listening skill as you talk; this aids in vocabulary development

Use a round plastic spice container or one of a similar size. Place the baby on his back. Roll the container over the baby’s chest and down the abdomen and back up to the chest for tactile sensation. Repeat if the baby is responsive.

Place the baby on his stomach. Lay the plastic container on its side and roll it towards the baby. Make sure that the container is clearly visible to the baby. Try to encourage him to watch as you roll the container. Allow the baby to stretch his arms and legs to squirm. Does your baby watch you roll the container? Does he wiggle slightly in an attempt to grasp the container? For further awareness and stimulation, a jingle bell may be placed inside the container before rolling it to the baby. Allow the baby to touch and explore the container. Roll the container again to the baby and talk to the baby as you do this.

At this age the baby may prefer to be propped in a sitting position when the container is rolled. However, free movement and the urge to move forward and grasp is increased if the baby is on his stomach.

Observe the baby’s reaction as you continue to roll the container towards him. Does the baby make sounds, attempt to grasp the object or does he just watch? If the baby just watches, he is attending and eye coordination is taking place.

It is important to repeat some of the previous activities, especially those that produced very little response earlier.

Listen and Do

This activity develops

 an awareness of sound

 an awareness of a rhythmical pattern

 listening skills

 the sense of touch

Remove the metal ends from a large empty tin can, such as a big coffee tin, and replace them with plastic lids that fit snugly on each end. Set the can in an upright position in front of the baby. The baby should be in a propped sitting position.

With your hand, tap on the top of the plastic lid in a pattern or rhythm of 1-2, 1-2. Talk to the baby and encourage him to listen as you tap and say,‘1-2, 1-2.’

Does the baby pay attention? Repeat the tapping several times and try to encourage the baby to use his hand and tap to make a sound. Do not expect the baby to make a pattern. However, if you repeat this activity often enough the baby will be able to produce the pattern when he is a little older.

Nursery Rhymes

This activity develops

 language enrichment

 listening skills

 an interest in repetition

 an interest in rhythm

Buy or borrow a nursery rhyme book from the library. Choose some of your favourite rhymes and read, recite or sing these rhymes for your baby to hear. Repeat each one several times. The nonsensical words of these ‘catchy’rhymes will entertain the baby as he listens.

Show the baby the picture that corresponds to the rhyme. The brief glance at the pictures will serve to develop beginning associations of pictures and words. Rhymes and rhythms are useful in developing early listening skills.

Repeat the recitations of the nursery rhymes whenever possible. The baby will learn to listen. As he begins to talk later, he will recite parts of his favourite rhymes spontaneously.

Reach to Grasp

This activity develops

 eye-hand coordination

 skill in making eye contact with stationary and moving objects

 an awareness of left and right

 enhancement of the sense of touch

Prop the baby up in a sitting position on the floor. Place a cotton reel, a ball and a rattle, or three similar items, in a row. It may be necessary to place these objects on a low table or stool so that they will be within easy reach of the baby.

Move the object on the left first to see if the baby will attempt to grasp or rake the object closer to him with his hand. Move the next object closer and observe the baby’s response. Move the third object closer and again observe the baby’s response. Does he reach for the third object or does he show a preference for one of the other two? Repeat this activity and encourage the baby to feel each object. It may be necessary for you to assist the baby as you encourage him to touch and grasp each object.

Substitute other objects and repeat this activity. Be sure to work from left to right as you move each object closer to the baby. This will give the baby a sense of left and right progression, which is a prerequisite to reading and writing.

Continue to repeat some of the previous activities, particularly the ones associated with the movement of the body parts. Remember to move the left body part first to ensure that the baby establishes a good sense of left and right laterality. As an extension of this concept, gently roll the baby’s entire body from left to right several times.

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