There are lots of fun things to do in the tub. Give your baby cups of different sizes and show her how to pour water from one cup to the other. Buy a package of soap crayons and practice writing different letters, or even her name, on the wall. Whip up a frothy mound of bubbles and give your baby a bubble beard or hairdo, then let her look in a mirror and laugh at her silly appearance.
Clean up.
As soon as your baby is physically able, have him help you pick up his toys. Keep each type of toy in a categorized plastic drawer or bin; for example, cars in one, dinosaurs in another. Go through a catalog to find a picture of each toy variety, cut the picture out, and tape it to the front of the appropriate drawer. He’ll learn organizational and categorization skills this way.
Allow for messy play.
As much of a mess as they may be, playthings such as finger paints, clay, and even sand, water, and mud are valuable creativity-building tools. Baby needs to be exposed to things he can squish, smear, and smudge, adding to his sensory experiences. Better yet, get “down and dirty” with him!
Be empathetic.
Emotional skills are just as important as cognitive skills. Help your baby learn about feelings, sharing, kindness, and thoughtfulness. When you’re reading a story and the character is sad, talk about it with Baby. Say why the character might be upset, and ask (if your baby is old enough to respond) how she thinks the character might be feeling. Let her see you do nice things for others, and interact with others in a polite manner. Remember, whether it seems that way or not, your baby is modeling her own behavior after yours!
Clue in to Baby’s cues.
Playing and interacting with your baby can be the best brain-building activity there is. When you make a face and Baby responds with a smile, coo, or giggle, you make an even more dramatic face – and this time, you may even get a full-fledged laugh out of Baby. Keep “reading” his reactions to determine what you should do next. Sometimes babies can get over-stimulated, so if he refuses to make eye contact, fusses, or turns away, you should stop trying to amuse him and let him return to his state of calm inactivity.