Activities to Promote Development of Infants and Children

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Activities to Promote Development of Infants and Children:

As parents of a young child, our favorite activities may be those we can play while lying down or pretending to be asleep. Luckily for you, we’ve put together our favorite activities that you can do with your baby in a way that supports their overall development, with minimal effort. Read about it, and enjoy!

Manisha Shah, Founder of “Playfully”, who is extremely passionate about children’s development, wishes you some rest and relaxation today and brings you these activities:

If you’re a parent of a young child, it’s probably been a long time since you thought to yourself, “Wow! How much energy do I have right now”. While sipping your favorite tea or coffee, you may be wondering about the next time you will get to see these moments again, or thinking about a good night’s sleep, or mentally exhausted, just thinking about your never-ending to-do list. Must be thinking.

You cannot even think of increasing the work for yourself and sometimes due to fatigue, even playing with the child feels like a chore. Parenting does not just mean hard work day and night. Children naturally bring work and play into your life with their mischievous antics, and you do not need to miss these beautiful, happy moments with your children because of your tiredness. Playing time with your child may seem like a tiring task, which drains away the energy you have left. But sometimes your voice is enough to get the child to play.

We are telling you about those five games that you can play while sitting, standing or lying down, these require only your voice. Not only are they an opportunity for you to relax but they are also helpful in the development of your young child.

So take a deep breath, put a beautiful mask on your eyes, sit under a cozy blanket, and enjoy these games with your child.

Suitable for Children of this Age :

0-6 months: tummy to tummy

This game helps in developing some muscles of the baby like the stomach, back, etc., and makes your relationship with your baby more beautiful.

  • Lie on your back in a comfortable position.
  • Place your baby on top of you, on his stomach. Hold him so that he is safe and does not roll over.
  • Take a few deep breaths so that your stomach rises and falls, watching your baby react as he moves up and down with your breaths.
  • If your baby shows interest, you can simply continue breathing and let him hear your heartbeat. If he seems reluctant, you can also entertain him by singing his favorite song.

For children 7-18 months: “Where is Thumbkin?”

“Where’s Thumbkin?” is a lovely much-loved nursery rhyme that inspires your baby to imitate your finger movements. By imitating this, your baby will develop his small muscles like fingers, wrist etc. When playing with babies, only show them your fingers. , Check with your children to see if they try to copy you.

  • Sit in a comfortable position and ask “Where’s Thumbkin?” Sing poetry.
  • While singing, keep making movements with your hands and encourage your child to do the same.
  • Take your hands behind your back. First bring one hand forward and while bringing the other hand out say “I am here” and starting with the thumb, read the poem and open the fingers one by one with each paragraph.
  • If you’re feeling energetic, you can keep your baby entertained by tickling him, making funny faces or even dancing.

For babies 7-18 months: big hug

This game teaches your child empathy, an important social and emotional skill for building and maintaining good relationships.

  • Lie down on the couch and “pretend” to be tired (you probably don’t have to pretend!).
  • Get your child’s attention and say “I’m so tired! Can you hug me? ,
  • Let your child hug you and show them how happy you are with their hug.
  • If your child is not interested in hugging you, you can also offer some other option that makes you happy. You can also give your child an example of affection by hugging yourself and show how much this helps.

For children aged 19-24 months: Simon says:

Simon says: “Looks like a simple game, but it really challenges your child to think (cognitively challenge). Listening, paying attention, and following instructions are all important skills that a child develops around this age.

  • Of course, first find yourself a comfortable seat.
  • Invite the child to play “Simon Says” – explain to him that you will tell him what to do and then he has to do what you say.
  • Start with basic instructions (eg: “Simon says, touch your nose”). You can also show him what you want him to do by doing it once or twice.
  • Use a variety of commands (e.g. jump, drag, clap, pat, spin, go, and stay). See what he likes to do best and repeat instructions that he finds funny (eg: instead of “jump up and down” you can say, “jump like a monkey”). If you need to explain to your child how to do this, demonstrate it with a simple activity rather than a jumpy approach.
  • If you want to have more fun with the game, let your child give you instructions and see what he gets you to do!

For 25-36 month-olds: Simon says 🙁 with some special colors )

This game becomes more difficult due to the inclusion of colors and further affects the thinking power of older children. Thinking by connecting two things increases the child’s thinking ability.

    • Start playing “Simon Says” as before.
    • Also include some instructions that name the colors. For example, you might ask your child to find a green object and bring it to you.
    • Next, ask him to follow 2 instructions, for example: “Find something white and sit on it”.
    • If you get creative, you can even make fun of it with your child by asking them to hold your head, asking for a piece of their chocolate, or anything else you can get them to do that will help you relax.

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