Parents are babies’ first teachers. Playing with your baby, talking to them and interacting are the best ways to help with a little one’s development during their earliest months. But, how do you play with a baby? Here are some tips for you to follow.

Playtime and Tummy Time

There are plenty of ways to play with babies, even newborns. A play gym is an excellent way to get started. You can talk to a baby about pictures and objects on the toy to encourage them to listen. You can even begin introducing words to support language development. No doubt, even before the baby was born you received plenty of baby gifts. You can put the toys to good use by placing them on either side of the baby and encouraging him or her to turn their head.

Using an Activity Centre

When your baby gets a little older, an activity centre is a great way to engage with activities and toys. Once the little one has enough upper body strength to sit and play, the new position offers a fresh view of the toy activities and the baby’s surroundings. For example:

• When the baby is looking in the mirror, pout to his nose, mouth, eyes and so on
• When playing with the toys, be sure to use words like “close” and “open” to show toys opening and closing
• Point out numbers, shapes, and colours
• Count along with music
• Use your smartphone to let baby see photos of family members, familiar places, and even pets

Play with Your Baby Throughout the Day

If you don’t have an activity centre or there are no toys within reach, there are still loads of ways to support your baby’s development via play. One of the simplest ways is to just talk to your little bundle of joy.

Talk to your baby throughout the day. The more he or she hears words, the greater the baby’s vocabulary is likely to be. Hearing words both individually and within conversations is an important foundation for language development.

You can also try:

• When you don’t have light up toys nearby, use your household lights to reinforce on/off concepts
• Expand the baby’s toy content to real life by counting on his or her toes and fingers

There are always ways and opportunities to play with your baby, no matter where you are. Activity centres are especially great ways to get started and they can be used during a range of developmental stages.

Overall, you should be aiming to engage your baby’s senses with a wide range of textures, sounds, colours, lights and activities and support his or her development of gross and fine motor skills, starting from as young as possible. You can even start by encouraging baby to kick and bat at toys and then introduce more interactive toys once your baby is strong enough to sit up.