The following exercises were designed to help your baby work on many of these skills. Keep in mind they will stimulate your baby’s entire body. Each time you perform the exercise, your baby is actually responding; her brain will be registering the action, and her muscles will be getting stronger.
If You’re Happy
If you’re happy and you know it claps your hands, (Clap your hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it claps your hands, (Clap your hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it,
If you’re happy and you know it claps your hands (Clap your hands twice).
If you’re happy and you know it stomps your feet, (Tap Baby’s feet on the floor in a stomping motion twice)
If you’re happy and you know it stomps your feet, (Tap Baby’s feet on the floor in a stomping motion twice)
If you’re happy and you know, then your feet will surely show it,
If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet (Tap Baby’s feet on the floor in a stomping motion twice).
Sit comfortably on the floor with you baby sitting on your lap, facing outward. As you sing the verses, clasp your hands over hers to make a clapping motion for the first verse. For the second verse, put your hands on her feet and make a stomping gesture on the floor. You can make up new verses to sing and show her what she can do. (Open and close, wiggle your toes, etc.)
Brain-building skills: body awareness and language skills
Kiss-Kisses
(Sing to the tune of “Ten Little Indians”)
One little, two little, three little kisses (Bounce Baby on your knees),
Four little, five little, six little kisses (Bounce Baby on your upper thighs lifting her up in the air),
Seven little, eight little, nine little kisses (Tilt Baby from side to side),
Ten little kisses for you (Hug Baby and gently kiss her head 10 times).
Repeat the game backward.
Brain-building skills: balance, listening, strengthens core muscles (for sitting up), builds large muscle group (thighs, hamstring, which she uses to pull herself up and to stand), counting skills, and anticipation and excitement
Falling Ice
(Sing to the tune of “London Bridges”)
London bridges falling down, falling down, falling down,
London bridges falling down, my Fair Lady.
Repeat.
This is a great bath-time game. You fill a small plastic cup with ice, and give Baby an empty cup. As you sing “falling down,” drop one ice cube in her cup and encourage her to use her pincher grasp (thumb and index finger) to retrieve it. You can also give her an ice cube and show her how to drop it into the water. Encourage her to try to scoop it into her cup and retrieve it using her pincher grasp.
Brain-building skills: fine motor skills (pincher grasp), cooperation, problem solving, imitation and anticipation.
Tunnel Crawl Help Baby to explore her world through an adventurous tunnel game. Simply cut the flaps off of three cardboard boxes, and tape the boxes together to form a tunnel. Place Baby at one end and then go to the other end. Peer into the tunnel and encourage her to crawl through. Make sure to cheer her on as she crawls through.
Brain-building skills: exploration, problem solving, gross motor development, anticipation and excitement, and object permanence