20 fun, "silly" games that promote child development

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As your child begins to interact with you more through fun, or "silly" games, and you may feel new pressures to help your child grow to his or her best. And sometimes, it's hard to know what to do to promote child development. Fortunately, the fact that you're feeling this means you're doing a great job. In this article we provide useful information about 20 interesting games suitable for each age for parents and caregivers to help their children develop.

1. Games for babies from birth to 3 months

For those who closely observe the baby from the outside, a newborn baby basically doesn't have much perception and impact on the world around. Your baby will mostly lie still, except when crying. So, how can parents or caregivers connect with their baby?
The best chance to do this is to engage your baby's senses: touch, sight, smell and hearing, but remember these are not yet fully developed. By the end of 3 months, babies can reach out to try to grab objects and will be attracted to sounds, smells and colors. Note: It may take a few seconds for babies to respond to their parents. Be patient – ​​parents may need to keep trying or wait a while for the child to transition to a more alert, responsive state.

1.1. Dance

In the afternoons, when kids get cranky, there's nothing better than hugging and rocking them to the music. At first, mothers should only rock gently. Then gradually increase the tempo of the dance. Children from birth to 3 months old mostly love this game.

1.2. Let children focus on observing certain objects

Most of the time from birth to 3 months, children's play is to focus on observing different objects. Any object in the house that is not harmful to health can be used as a toy for the baby. Babies love looking at whisks, spoons, books and magazines with pictures or even bottles of shampoo or conditioner... However, these things should not be left alone.
Put a few objects next to you and sit with your baby. Don't expect a newborn to show a love of their books at this age. Parents will know what objects children like if they observe the baby's expression when bringing those objects out. When babies are a few months old, they can take a book and fold it. This is also one of the child development steps. Newborns love to look at books, but they are often not interested in the content of the book.

1.3. Explore mother and baby's wardrobe

In a few months, your baby will want to stroke anything beaded, embroidered, or embellished with their hands. And nothing is more appropriate than using some of the mother's discarded clothes to make toys for children to explore.

1.4. Fun games from simple things in life

Parents of children may be surprised at the fun games they can bring to their children from the simplest things around their house. Here are three ideas they can try:
Tie or stick some ribbons, fabric, or other fun coloring agents onto wooden spoons and gently hang them up in front of your baby. Take a handkerchief and toss it in the air, letting it fall on your baby's head. Tie the toy to an elastic band and bring it up and down in front of your baby Remember never to leave your baby alone with the ropes or ribbons as they can wrap around the neck and suffocate the baby.

1.5. Sing to the children

Perhaps everyone knows that lullabies are part of our childhood. Although not all mothers have the voice of a singer, but children do not know or care about such things, babies can completely enjoy what your mother sings to them. Along with the mother's voice, the lullabies nurture the dreams of the children until they grow up.

2. Games for children from 4 to 6 months old

At this age, a child's body is much more developed. Your baby can already learn to roll over and even sit up straight. Babies are now able to hold and suck on objects around them, so parents should also be alert and keep an eye on them.

2.1. Discover the scents of some spices

When mothers were in the kitchen trying to cook dinner for the whole family, the babies burst into tears. Take your kids to the spice shelf and introduce them to the intoxicating scent of cinnamon. Rub a little on your hand and bring it to your baby's nose. (Don't get it in your baby's eyes or mouth.) If your baby shows interest, try other varieties: Vanilla, mint, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, and many other herbs and spices It has an appealing scent that your baby may love. Other household items also smell good: Dad's shaving cream, Mom's hand cream. Let your baby explore their smell and just make sure he doesn't put anything in his mouth.

2.2. Balloon game

Balloons have always had a strong appeal to children and now they can see far enough to focus on them. Blow up balloons in the park to attract older kids who will be active nearby and keep them entertained in the process. Blow bubbles in the tub or on the porch when it's late afternoon and your baby is cranky. Balloons are incredibly cheap, easy to transport, and incredibly appealing to babies.

2.3. Play hide and seek

Children from 4 to 6 months old are old enough to be aware of this game. Your baby will giggle when a parent or relative peeks out from behind the door and says, “Ugh, ooh”.

2.4. Piglets

Touch your baby's toes one at a time, starting with the big toe. Say, "This piglet went to the market, this piglet stayed at home, this piglet had roast beef, this piglet didn't. And this piglet went to snacking all the way home." When it comes to the last sentence, run your fingers over the baby's belly. This game is useful for parents to put on socks and shoes or change the diaper of the child. You can also play this game in the bath with an empty bottle of dishwashing liquid that shoots jets of water at your baby's toes.

2.5. Airplane game

Now that your baby can hold her head up, it's time to lift her into the air. Parents can let the child act like an airplane, flying around you and making noises similar to airplane engines. Or pretend your child is doing a traffic report on a helicopter.

3. Games for children from 7 to 9 months old

Children at this stage can already sit up and even crawl. Encourage your child by clapping and cheering him on. In addition, this period also sees the baby's ability to grasp and control their hands better. Children are also beginning to understand that when an object moves out of their sight, it has not disappeared from the ground. This makes hide and seek a favorite

3.1. Children can control everything

Newborns love causal games such as turning the switch and the light on, pressing the doorbell and the bell rings. Therefore, let's combine with games to teach children how to turn on and off lights, faucets, doorbells, etc. to make them excited. However, it can also bring trouble to parents when children keep asking to do the same movements over and over.

3.2. Obstacle

If your baby is already crawling or even toddler, he or she may enjoy the challenge of overcoming obstacles. This is also great for the development of baby's motor skills. A pillow, pillow, clothes... can be ideal obstacles in a child's play.

3.3. Play with balls

Newborns are fascinated by the balls and the way they move. Children can laugh when their parents tosses the balls into the air and let them fall freely to the floor. Roll a soft ball towards your baby and watch him grasp and squeeze it. Then encourage the child to roll the ball back. And one day, kids might even kick and throw the ball or drop it into a big bowl or bucket.

4. Games for children from 10 to 12 months old

In terms of development, babies between 10 and 12 months old can already walk. Games that allow children to practice gross motor skills such as standing, pulling up and climbing are very important to them at this time. Baby will also enjoy practicing her fine motor skills by playing with the labels on parents' shirts.
Babies at this age love to imitate. Encourage this behavior by making noises and then nodding at your child to move on and try another noise. Babies can imitate their parents or make their own noises.
Children 10 to 12 months old generally do not like to sit in the tub and bathe. Therefore, make it fun for your child by adding more toys to the tub. Parents can also use empty and well-washed bottles of dishwashing liquid that sprays water on young children and shows them how to stop the streams.
There are a few notes for first-time parents who want to get used to infant entertainment: Repetition is very important. A baby's attention and interest will vary greatly, depending on the age, mood and temperament of each child. Therefore, some games cannot make children feel excited at first. Sometimes children will enjoy a game for as long as 20 minutes, but often parents will need to modify the game every five minutes or so. They'll know what games your baby loves when he turns to you and smiles. But if the child has been trying to stay away or not look in the direction of the parent, that means you should change the game.
Besides, parents also need to supplement their children with essential micro-minerals such as zinc, lysine, chromium, selenium, vitamin B1, ... to fully meet the nutritional needs of children. The addition of these essential vitamins also supports digestion, enhances nutrient absorption, improves anorexia, and helps children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. Combining many types of functional foods at the same time or changing many types in a short time can make the baby's digestive system unable to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.
Reference source: babycenter.com