Interactive learning games for babies

Fill a large tub with water and add a bit of blue food coloring. It should be a balance between items that have some weight, like toy cars, and others that are quite light, like foam balls. Before adding each item to the tub of water, ask your toddler to guess whether it will sink to the bottom or swim at the top.

This will be a fun learning game that could get quite splashy! Trace various shapes onto felt. To make it easier you can use variously shaped cookie cutters or create your own shapes. Cut the shapes out and then cut each shape in half. Have your toddler match the different halves.

Use different colored felt to make the art project even more colorful. If you need to keep your toddler busy for a short period of time, such as on a day when you happen to be working from home , the following ideas can help occupy his hands and mind for a while:. Sticker art.

Give your toddler some construction paper and a sheet of stickers or colored labels and let him go to town creating sticker art. DIY marble maze. To create a maze for your toddler, glue some paper straws onto a square piece of cardboard that will fit inside a large gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Make sure that you glue the straws in a way that creates a maze. Then add a marble, seal the bag, and let your toddler practice getting the marble out of the maze. Sorting box.

Give the box to your toddler with a bowl of plastic balls in different colors and have him drop and sort the balls by color. Excavation site. Fill a large tub with sand. Then let your toddler dig around and excavate all the hidden items.

Card dealer. Cut a slot into a large canister, like an oatmeal canister. Let your toddler insert playing cards one by one into the slot. Building block bath. This could be a fun activity for bathtime. Just remember to never leave your child unattended in or near water. Bubble jar. Fill a jar with water, some liquid soap, and a few drops of food coloring. Tighten the lid, and let your toddler have some fun shaking the jar and watching the colorful bubbles form inside.

Color sorting. Get a package of colorful pompoms and pour them into a bowl. Hand your toddler a pair of tongs and have him sort the pompoms by color into an empty egg carton or muffin tin. Stackable cups. Get your toddler a package of paper or plastic cups, the more colorful the better, and ask him to stack up a big tower as high as he can go. If the cups are different colors, he may even sort them and stack multiple towers separated by color.

Gelatin aquarium. Refrigerate over night. The next day, your little one can dig around in his "aquarium," trying to pick out his toys, and he can even eat some of the gelatin. Button art. You probably have a box of random buttons somewhere in the house. Put them to good use. Give your toddler some construction paper, some kid-safe glue, and hand her the box of buttons. Because small items, like buttons, can become a choking hazard, never leave your toddler unattended with buttons or any other small items.

Once you are done creating button art together, put the supplies away and make sure they are out of reach of your little one. DIY snowglobe. Get an empty jam jar, clean it well, and remove its labels. Add a spoonful of glitter to the jar, and fill it three-quarters of the way with mineral oil or glycerin. Squeeze some glue to the inside of the lid, and screw it on the jar. Now, your toddler has a DIY snowglobe she can play with and take pride in because she helped make it.

Games to Play Get on Down: When baby is on tummy, get down on their level. Encourage eye contact. Place a mirror in front of baby, so they see themselves in a new way. Helps baby develop motor skills, prevents flat spots on head. Smiling Faces: Babies love faces.

Go through pictures of family and friends or a magazine. Point out the smiling faces for baby. You can also draw a basic smiley face on a paper plate and hang it in baby's room. Helps baby develop ability to focus. Diaper Time Chat: When changing baby's diaper, talk about what you are doing. Soft Touch: While baby is alert, awake, and calm place a soft, cushy toy with a face within their arm length.

The face will interest them, and the way it feels will develop their sense of touch. Move the toy up and down, left and right in front of them. Helps baby track objects and develop visual focus.

Week 6. Share your reflection in each mirror. Lap Baby: Soothe baby on your lap. Place baby across your knees while you are in the sitting position and rub their back while they do a little Tummy Time. Helps you steady baby and keep them calm during Tummy Time. Sing Song: Play on floor with baby while they stay on their tummy. Place toys in front of them and sing songs. Baby loves your face and voice! Helps baby by making Tummy Time fun. Helps baby develop language skills.

Week 7. While singing, tap the bottom of their feet in time with the song. Baby will love hearing your voice and the tapping gives them a new sound experience. Helps baby develop listening skills. Bring arms out in front and clap over their head, then to the right and left to the beat. Helps baby develop body awareness. Cycling: While baby is lying on their back, pretend baby is riding a bike by gently grasping their ankles, keeping legs apart and moving them in slow circles.

Week 8. See if they can follow the movement. Then move the puppet in a circle. As soon as they are able to follow the movement, try different movements. Helps baby develop vision skills. Gentle Dance: Turn on some of your favorite music. Hold baby close while you sway to the rhythm and sing along. Helps baby be calmly introduced to new sounds and words. Reach For It: Show baby a toy and move it towards their hand.

Encourage baby to touch it. Be sure to switch sides so both hands get a chance to feel. You can even use common household items like measuring spoons.

Helps baby learn to move their fists from closed to open. Week 9. They should be cooing soft throaty sounds including vowels and gurgling low, throaty, wet sounds back to you by about two months. Toddlers learn at a phenomenal rate and are constantly absorbing information of the world around them.

The below activities are designed to improve their vocabulary, spatial skills, colour coordination and even motor skill. Learning letters can be fun if you add an element of creativity to the process. Here are a few ideas:. Learning shapes in an important academic milestone for kids. Here are some easy ways of teaching them:.

Colouring is a favourite activity for most children. Here are a few activities which help identify colours:. When your child has picked up the basics, it is time to move on to more activities.