It’s taken a while, but your baby is finally getting around to discovering that he has control over his feet. And over the next few months, he’ll be making more and more use of his feet by learning to walk. He’ll do this all by himself, of course, but helping him build up his muscles and
coordination can be great fun for both of you:
1. Put some toys near his feet and see if he’ll kick them.
2. Roll a ball far enough out of your baby’s reach so he has to crawl to get it.
3. Supervised stair climbing is great. But stay nearby and be extremely careful. This is a good time to start teaching your baby to come down stairs backward. But be prepared to demonstrate yourself and to physically turn your baby around a few dozen times a day.
4. Play alternating chasing games: you chase him, then he chases you. At the end, reward him with a big hug and if he doesn’t protest, a little wrestling. Besides being fun, these kinds of games teach your baby a valuable lesson: when you go away, you always come back. The more that idea is reinforced, the less he’ll be impacted be separation anxiety.
There are plenty of activities you and your baby can do that stimulate hand-eye coordination:
1. Puzzles – The best ones for this age are made of wood, have a separate hole for each piece, and a peg for easy lifting.
2. Nesting and stacking toys – These help improve gentle placement skills.
3. Things to crush, tear, or crinkle – the noisier, the better.
4. Weave some string between baby’s fingers or tape two of his fingers together. Can he free himself?
5. Stock your bathtub with toys that squirt or spin.
6. Get toys that can be used in the bathtub or sandbox to pour stuff back and forth. Measuring cups and spoons are also good.
7. When you’re shopping, have the baby help you put things in the grocery cart.
8. If you’re brave, let the baby change channels on your stereo or TV (supervised, of course).
9. Play hand-clapping games.
The idea that different actions produce different effects is one that can’t be reinforced often enough. Here are a few ways that are especially appropriate for your nine to twelve month old:
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