Social development skills develop at a very early age, according to the Pediatric Behavioral Health Resources LLC. Parents can help develop social skills in their babies, especially through sensory stimulation. Understand the reactions of infants to even the smallest interactions and stimuli to help your baby adapt to a variety of people and situations. Introduce your infant to the world around him gradually, comfortably and easily. Sight, touch, smell and hearing should especially be used to help develop your infant's social skills from birth onward.
Sight and Recognition Activities
Hold your baby often, and allow her to see your face. This helps you bond, and also helps the baby develop visual and recognitions skills. She'll soon be able to distinguish between mother and sister or father and grandpa. Make different faces when you hold your baby. Smile, laugh, open your eyes and your mouth. Your baby will soon learn to recognize certain expressions, as well. She'll react in different ways to different facial expressions, according to Pediatric Behavioral Resources. This concept is known as perceptual development.
Mirrored Play
When your baby is between three and four months old, sit with him in front of a mirror and watch his expressions. He'll be fascinated by the image he sees, and will want to reach out and touch his reflection. He'll like to play with the image and will likely laugh. You can also play with him, making faces, touching the reflection and playing games like "peek-a-boo." Gradually add more people to the game to increase the amount of stimulation your baby can deal with, but watch for cues that he's overstimulated as a sign to stop.
Touching Activities
Touch is an important aspect of an infant's social development, according to Mesa Community College. Touch your child's fingers, hold her arm, and touch her often when changing her diaper or holding her against your chest. Touch her chin or gently stroke her forehead. Parents and caregivers who hold babies, conveying tenderness and affection, provide a sense of security and safety. This promotes the infant's trust in others.
Playing with Toys
Give your baby age-appropriate toys to play with. Infants and babies like to explore everything with their mouths. They taste, touch and grasp different objects to explore shapes, textures and firmness. Playtime is one of the best ways to develop social interaction with infants. Encourage family members to lie on the floor with baby and hand him toys to play with. Let him grasp your fingers or hand. Make sure your hands are clean, because he'll more than likely want to put them in his mouth.
