As a parent, you are the most important influence on the development of your baby. The interactions and activities that you engage in with your infant will help her develop, grow and change right on schedule. Spending quality time with your infant allows you to form a strong bond with her, says Kids Health, and will enable her to form relationships with others as she gets older. You can promote the healthy development of your baby with a few simple and fun activities that you will both enjoy together.
Musical Activities
According to Scholastic, babies love music and can sense rhythm from a very young age. Incorporating music into your baby's day will provide many opportunities for you to interact with him and will encourage healthy development. You can use real or homemade instruments to drum out a rhythm to your baby while chanting well known nursery rhymes, such as "Hickory Dickory Dock," says Scholastic. Repeating the same songs, such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," will help encourage healthy communication and language development, adds Scholastic. Music can also be used to calm your baby as you transition from one activity to the next.
Physical Activities
You may not think that your baby is very physically active since she most likely spends much of her day eating and sleeping. Healthy Children reports that your young baby is able to be active and should be encouraged to continue moving her body with parental interaction. You will probably notice your baby kicking around two months of age, and between three and four months of age she will be able to bounce as you hold her up. Rolling over will come shortly after. Healthy Children encourages you to provide your baby with plenty of tummy time to help her build her muscle strength and continue to encourage proper physical development. Other activities that will encourage future physical development include taking your baby on walks in the stroller, getting down on the floor and playing with her, and listening to music and dancing with her.
Reading Activities
Scholastic reports that reading to your infant will help promote healthy brain development and will set the stage for future literacy skills. It is recommended that you snuggle your baby in your lap and show him a variety of different books. You can read the words and show him the pictures to help stimulate him and encourage a love of reading. Scholastic also recommends that you make homemade books filled with pictures of your baby's loved ones. Providing board books will allow your baby to manipulate them on his own so he can discover how to turn the pages and look at the pictures on his own.
