Hello Infant 1 Families!
First, I’d like to wish a Happy Birthday to all of our April friends! Also, congratulations to parents as well, you’ve made it through the first year. We are a month into quarantine so I hope everyone is still doing well and getting the hang of a new routine. Just a friendly reminder to make sure you are taking a couple moments a day for some self-care as your baby needs you to be happy and healthy during this time as well. As always if you need anyone to talk to or have any questions, we would be happy to help you, or give you some resources to someone/something that can.
The first activity I have is a Mystery Box. For this activity you can use an old tissue box, diaper wipe box, a small card board box, and then put a few items from around the house into the box. If you are using a carboard box, then I would suggest you tape it shut and cut a small hole in the top big enough for your child to stick their hand in. This activity promotes cognitive development because your child will be thinking about what is in the box and they will also be using their sense of touch to find objects in the box. Your child will also be working on their fine motor skills during this activity when they are reaching into the box and grabbing objects out, this also works on hand eye coordination.
My second activity is a mirroring game. There are two different ways to do this activity with your child. First, you can sit with your child in front of a mirror and do the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” Doing the activity this way helps with cognitive and social emotional development. Your child will be able to see themselves in the mirror and learn about body parts. You can help them with their recognition of self by asking who is in the mirror and recognizing what they are doing. The second way to do this activity is by sitting your child in front of you and mirroring their facial expressions, after a few moments you can try to get them to mirror your facial expressions. When you begin to get them to mirror your facial expressions mention what emotion it could be associated with and change your tone of voice. Ex: Smile and say, “Soo Happy”.
We hope you like these simple yet engaging activities that will foster healthy infant development. If possible, send us a quick email to let us know if you try them at home. We’d love to hear how everyone is doing at this time.
Take Care,
Hailey
