No matter how young your baby is, he will benefit from being read to. Choose books with large, brightly colored pictures and age-appropriate storylines (for very young infants, the content of the story doesn’t really matter; it’s your voice inflection that makes the most difference). Point at animal pictures and make the sound that the animal makes. Change your voice for each different character. Encourage Baby to talk with you about what happens next (even if he may not talk much yet). Read his favorites over and over, pointing at the words as you say them.
Keep in “touch.”
It’s important to give your baby lots of sensory experiences. Let her feel different textures and temperatures, and with each one, say, “This ice cube is cold,” or, “This sandpaper is rough.”
Describe tastes.
If your baby is eating foods other than breast milk or formula, you can begin teaching about different tastes. Identify each taste as sweet, sour, or salty as he eats.
Let Baby help.
Even toddlers can “help” with household chores. Laundry, for example, is a great way to teach her to distinguish between clean and dirty, wet and dry.
Teach Baby to sign.
Infants can learn basic sign language before they can even speak. Many companies are taking advantage of this fact by producing books, videos and toys designed to help babies communicate by using simple signs. Whether the benefit comes from the signing itself, or from the parent-child interaction involved in the teaching process, babies who sign seem to have markedly better communication skills.
Mirror, mirror.
Let Baby look at herself in a mirror. She’ll love seeing the “other” baby’s reactions.
Teach cause and effect.
Clue your baby in before you perform an action: “I’m going to turn off the light now.” This way, he learns to expect certain consequences, and learns to anticipate what causes them.
Love the library.
Most public libraries have scheduled story times or even puppet shows. Even if you miss these activities, the library can still be a wondrous place where your baby can have fun choosing the books he likes best.