Games for newborns - Funny faces
You will need:
A mirror and the ability to pull funny faces!
How does this help my baby?
This game gives her visual stimulation, makes her aware of light and reflection and gets her copying facial expressions.
How to play
Newborn babies are able to focus on faces around 20-30cm away from them, so any play at this stage needs to be carried out where she can see you well.
Babies do have a remarkable fascination with faces, so it’s great to use yours to entertain her.
Position yourself in front of her and work your way from smiling to frowning, taking time with each expression to see whether your baby mimics any of them – babies as young as 3 weeks can sometimes imitate you sticking out your tongue.
If she does, put her in front of a mirror so she can see what she looks like, while praising her and talking to her about what she’s done.
Once you’ve reached the end of your repertoire, repeat for about five minutes, or until your face aches!
Try this
Hang a baby-safe mirror in your little one’s cot or by her changing table to keep her happily entertained.
Games from 1 month – Brush up
You will need:
A clean make-up brush.
How does this help my baby?
It provides an understanding of her body.
Expert Tip
If there’s eye contact, they’ve got your attention and babies have got that sussed! They love it – the communicating, the bonding, the interacting – it’s as though you’re saying to your baby, ‘You’re special and I notice you.’ Who wouldn’t be happy with that?
Cynthia Masters-Waage, psychotherapist and antenatal teacher
How to play
When your baby is nice and relaxed after bath time, run a make-up brush over her body, pointing out different parts as you do. Even adults appreciate a gentle tickle, so don’t be surprised when your baby starts to gurgle with pleasure. You might even get your first smile!
Tip: If you don’t have a brush to hand, your baby will still have lots of fun if you simply rub her fingers and toes one by one and gently tweak her nose.
Games from 2 months- Dangling fun
You will need:
A pom-pom, a bell, something furry, some scrunched-up paper, string, anything interesting you can hang from the string.
How does this help my baby?
Aids development of her motor functions.
How to play
Your baby loves to kick out with her feet, so why not give her something fun to kick against? Take a large cardboard box, turn it on one side, and then securely tie an assortment of brightly coloured objects on string dangling across the open end. Go for different heights and objects of varying texture, softness, and anything that makes a noise. Pop a soft blanket underneath your baby and slide your homemade baby gym up to your baby’s feet. Make sure the objects are tied securely and keep a close eye on her as she plays, so that there’s no risk of choking or tangling.
Games from 3 months – Super Sled
You will need:
A cot blanket, stamina!
How does this help my baby?
It will help develop motor skills.
How to play
Your baby will love this game and it gives you a bit of a workout, too. At first it may just seem like a fun game for you both, but long-term this helps her start moving and crawling.
Spread the cot blanket on the floor and lay her on it, on her tummy, with hands out in front or to the side. Then all you need to do is grasp the two front corners of the blanket and gently pull your baby around the room. You’ll soon have her gurgling with delight.
Try this
Promote crawling by placing her on her tum, then putting your palms on her feet. She’ll automatically push against your hands.
Games from 4 months – Grab it!
You will need:
A selection of fun objects.
How does this help my baby?
It helps develop motor and grasping skills.
How to play
Your baby should now be reaching out for objects – she’ll have started from around 3 months old – and she might be almost crawling, or doing some sort of squirming movement. This game combines both the grasping and the squirming. Just pop your baby on the floor on her tummy, then plonk a fun object or favourite toy on the carpet just out of her reach.
If she wants it she’s going to have to move for it! But keep an eye out, because if your baby isn’t up for this one she’ll get frustrated, and you’ll have to move the toy to within her reach after a few minutes, or you’ll have a wailing little one on your hands.
Games from 5 months – who’s that?
You will need:
Photos of everybody in your baby’s life, a cheap photo album.
How does this help my baby?
It boosts fine motor skills and pattern recognition.
How to play
Your baby is incredibly good at recognising people’s faces and this game gives her the chance to learn who all the most important people in her life are. All you have to do is put photos of mummy, daddy, grannies, granddads, brothers, sisters, pets, carers and so on into the plastic wallets.
Then take time out, sit with your little one and talk through who’s who. This is a real keepsake and once your child is old enough she’ll find comfort flicking through it on her own.
It worked for me
“At 5 months old, I started singing this song, ‘Doggy goes woof woof, cat goes meow meow, cow goes moo moo, sheep goes baa baa.’ By 8 months Premjyot imitated the sounds.” Mangla Sachdev, 29, from Middlesex, mum to Premjyot, 4, and Ramjyot, 5 months.
Games from 6 months - Tuggies
You will need:
A clean tea towel.
How does this help my baby?
Boosts strength and motor skills.
How to play
Your baby likes to hold onto things, so she’ll love this tug of war. Give her one end of the tea towel, hold the other end yourself and vary pulling and releasing – do it gently so she doesn’t lose her balance.
Games from 7 months - Rollers
You will need:
Two 2ltr plastic drinks bottles, a selection of small toys.
How does this help my baby?
This game encourages crawling.
How to play
Steam the labels off the bottles, cut off the top sections, then fill one of the bottles with a few of your child’s favourite toys. Jam the cut end of the second bottle over the cut end of the first, tape around the join, making sure there aren’t any sharp edges, and you now have your own homemade roll-along. Show your child how it works by tapping it along the floor and then let her give it a go. Just keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t get it open!
Try this
Put a favourite toy on a place mat just out of reach. Let her work out that she has to pull the mat to get hold of her toy.
Games from 8 months – Top of the World
You will need:
Nothing, just a willing parent.
How does this help my baby?
It helps develop her balance and control.
How to play
Carefully lift your baby up onto your shoulders to ride ‘piggy back’, while keeping a tight hold of her thighs and bottom so she can’t slip. As well as helping her balance, she’ll love viewing the world from a different angle.
Games from 9 months – Point and Squirt
You will need:
A water pistol.
How does this help my baby?
This helps her to identify body parts.
How to play
Little ones love to play in the bath and this game has an added tickly element. All you need to do is point to one of her body parts, telling her what you’re pointing at, then squirt it with the water, telling her what you’re squirting. In time she’ll start joining in too, and even asking you to squirt a certain area of her body.
Games from 10 months – Let Rip!
You will need:
A pile of papers with different textures – old magazines, newspapers, foil, greaseproof paper.
How does this help my baby?
This allows her to explore different textures and learn how to pull things apart.
How to play
This game is all about tearing – let her loose on a number of different materials, and show her how to get ripping. By 10 months your baby should be about ready – if she’s not and ends up cramming the paper into her mouth rather than tearing it, save it for another month. Remember to keep an eye on her while she tears.
Games from 11 months - Sock it & see
You will need:
Socks, a wastepaper basket or bowl.
How does this help my baby?
This promotes coordination and understanding skills.
How to play
Babies love socks – especially when they can empty out sock drawers. To play this game, roll several socks into balls and encourage her to try to throw them into the basket or bowl. When she’s ready for a change, put one of the socks on your hand as a puppet. Give her the other sock and play sock puppets together.
It worked for me
“Kiri insists we play ‘rain’ every bath time. She fills her watering can and we take turns pouring out the water. It’s really helped with washing her hair, as she now doesn’t mind having ‘rain’ splash on her.”
Sam McKenzie, 29, from Scotland, mum to Kiri, 9 months.
Games from 12 months – Ready Thready
You will need:
Circle-shaped cereal, a piece of string.
How does this help my baby?
Helps fine motor skills and hand-to-eye coordination.
How to play
Strap your baby into her high chair, tie a large knot in the end of a piece of string about 30cm long and give your child this and a pile of dry cereal shapes. Show her how to thread a bit of cereal onto the string and then let her have a go. She’ll be so intrigued and as her pincer grip is developing well at this point, it may keep her occupied for 10 minutes or so.
Mum’s story:
"My daughter plays 'rain' at bathtime'
“Penny insists we play ‘rain’ every bath time. She fills her watering can and we take turns pouring out the water. It’s really helped with washing her hair, as she now doesn’t mind having ‘rain’ splash on her.”
Paula, 30, mum to Penny, 9 months.
