Your infant will make incredible strides in growth and development in her first year of life. Social development is an important part of learning, and your baby will become more social around 4 months of age. As she gets older, your infant will learn how to interact with the world around her and you can influence her social development by engaging in a variety of different activities with her.
Step 1
Read to your baby often. Hearing the sounds of the words and looking at the pictures in books while you read fosters social development. As your baby hears stories he will begin learning how to communicate with others. He will also learn how the world works and begin connecting sounds with words he hears on a regular basis. Interacting with you will also promote social development because he will begin learning how to have a conversation and how to use tone of voice to convey feelings and emotions.
Step 2
Play with your baby and encourage her to explore while playing. Your baby learns through play, and interacting with her while she explores will promote social development. Playing together requires that both parties understand the game being played, and showing your baby new ways to play with her toys will promote conversation and interaction, two skills necessary for social development. Kids Health recommends also providing safe alternatives to baby toys, such as egg cartons or plastic cups, to stimulate her social development.
Step 3
Talk to your baby. Show your baby different objects and tell him the names of them. If he points to something, tell him what it is and encourage him to interact with it and with you to foster social development. Conversation is an important way to build social skills, and conversing with your baby, even though he does not talk back, teaches him how to interact with others.
Step 4
Sing songs and listen to music. According to Healthy Children, music promotes social development because it teaches your baby about communication. Play silly songs and listen to many different types of music to delight your infant and encourage her to take part in interacting with you. Participate in baby music classes as a way to allow your infant to interact with other babies her age, a skill that it is critical for social development.
Tips and Warnings
- Games like peek-a-boo can be added to play time to help foster social development. You can also hide a toy under a blanket and then pop it out to surprise your baby.
- If you feel that your baby is not developing socially, see your pediatrician for advice.
Things You'll Need
- Books
- Music
- Toys
