Great Learning Activities for your 6 to 12 Month Old

Babies grow physically and mentally at such an incredible rate that if you blink, you just might miss it. In order to help them be the best they can be though, it’s up to us as parents to foster that learning and help them to grow further. Our love and attention are essential for developmental activities. If you want to encourage your baby’s growth in a healthy and positive way, here are some activities you can do with your baby between 6 months to one year.

Stackable stuff
Whether you have blocks like those great soft ones that jingle or you’ve got a bunch of plastic cups, you and your baby can have a blast together stacking them up and knocking them down. While it seems destructive, you’re helping fine-tune those fine motor skills and giving a nice introductory lesson into the world of cause and effect.

Peekaboo
Babies go ga-ga over this game. It might seem mundane to you, but babies find this crazy-cool. You’ve probably already dabbled in this a bit by hiding behind your hands and then moving them away, shouting, “Peekaboo!” As your baby gets into this age range though, you can start partially hiding objects like books or toys under a blanket and asking where they are. Your baby should start understanding the permanence of objects through this little game.

Reading
Nothing is more important than reading to your child each day. Always add to your collection of books. At this stage, it’s important to get some your baby can grab onto. Those fancy hard covers are great reading material, but your baby will make short work of them. Get some board books which are much harder to destroy. Some of them even have different textures and hard to rip flaps to help your baby explore even more.

Wooden puzzles
Simple wooden puzzles with farm animals, the alphabet, numbers and other items make a great gift for a child turning one. Not only can you use them to teach new vocabulary but you can also use them to help them learn problem solving skills as your child tries to figure out how to put the pieces back properly.

Clapping and rhymes
Babies at this age love to clap their hands. Play them songs and clap along to the songs. It’s especially effective if the words in the song rhyme. Feel free to make up your own silly songs to sing to your child.

Finger painting
With all the non-stainable, non-toxic stuff out there today, finger painting has never been easier or more enjoyable. Your baby will have fun with the squishy texture of paint and get a taste of early writing skills and artistic creativity. Plus, you’ll have adorable mementos of this precious time together.

The post Great Learning Activities for your 6 to 12 Month Old appeared first on Smiinky.

from Smiinky http://www.smiinky.com/great-learning-activities-6-12-month-old/
via Smiinky