Social Activities for Young Infants in Child Care Centers

Young babies are limited in the ways they can interact with others, but while they continue to develop essential motor and cognitive skills, caregivers can engage them in plenty of learning activities that promote social development. As babies grow closer to their first birthday, they start to sit up on their own, grasp and manipulate objects and perhaps even learn how to say a few words. Once babies reach these milestones, it becomes easier to conduct social activities for infants in small groups.

  1. Mirror Play

    • Some day care centers will affix a child-safe, reflective panel to the lower half of walls for babies to look at during tummy time play or while crawling along. If your baby̵7;s childcare center doesn̵7;t, bring in a baby-safe toy mirror for caregivers to use with your child during play. Mirror play can help an infant develop vision and learn to recognize familiar faces -- an essential social skill.

    Story Time

    • Picture books are plentiful in good childcare centers, and caregivers will read them even with young babies to help promote social skills. Reading the words aloud and talking about the pictures promotes language development, which is pivotal to their ability to communicate with others as they grow.

    Talk

    • Talking is perhaps the most basic of social activities, and one people do countless times per day as they interact with others. When a baby coos and babbles, caregivers should respond to promote a basic understanding of two-way conversation. Speaking to a baby in ̶0;baby talk̶1; -- short phrases and a high pitch -- promotes language development by fostering young babies̵7; ability to connect words to objects.

    Meal Time

    • Eating is, for many, a social activity that endures throughout the years. Kids sit down for lunch at cafeteria tables, families have dinner together and friends meet up at restaurants for an evening out. Mealtime can be a social activity for babies, also. Some childcare centers have tables that seat up to four babies at a time, with a space at the opposite end for the caregiver to sit and assist with feedings. These tables can be used for other activities such as finger painting or blowing bubbles among a group of smiling, giggling babies.

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