What Activities Can Facilitate Development for 0-6 Month old Babies?

According to Dr. Richard Woolfson, in his book, "Bright Start," the developmental progress of young babies depends upon interactions between their individual abilities, their caregivers' personalities and their everyday life. Up to the age of about six months, babies are more interested in people's faces, voices and actions than objects, so toys entertain young babies, but only for very short periods. During this time, interactions between babies and their caregivers support babies' development of physical, cognitive (thinking and language) and social and emotional skills. Activities to facilitate babies' development are most effective when babies are alert, responsive and well-fed. Young babies tire easily, so keep activities short and fun and let babies rest when they become inattentive or irritable.

  1. Supporting Babies' Development of Physical Skills

    • Cot mobiles in bright, primary colors attract the attention of young babies and help babies develop the ability to focus their eyes. Stimulate babies to develop hand-eye coordination skills with a "baby gym" of hanging toys and safe objects that encourage them to reach out their arms. Vary the toys occasionally to prevent boredom. Play gentle "tug-of-war" with them as they hold their toys to help babies develop hand control and grip strength. From about four months old, or when they have good head control, help babies to develop strong backs and shoulders with "sit-ups": put babies onto their backs and place your fingers in the palms of their hands. When their grip tightens, sing, "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream" as you gently pull them up to a sitting position.

    Supporting Babies' Development of Cognitive Skills

    • According to psychiatrist Janellen Huttenlocher of the University of Chicago, a baby is "primed to turn sounds into words" and the more words they hear, the faster they learn language. Activities for 0 to 6 month old babies should include lots of talking and singing. This helps babies develop "receptive" language skills (the ability to listen and understand). Sing nursery rhymes and chat to babies during everyday activities, such as feeding and changing. Introduce baby board books, especially those with contrasting colors, such as black and white. Point to pictures as you name objects and make the sounds of animals in the pictures. Help babies to recognize their own name by playing "Peepo!" with a soft blanket, putting it over their heads and saying, for example, "There's Emily!" when you remove the blanket. Stimulate babies' development of thinking skills with age-appropriate "cause and effect" toys that make sounds or produce lights when babies touch, pull or push them.

    Supporting Babies' Development of Social and Emotional Skills

    • Babies' fascination with human faces begins from birth. Eye contact, smiles and loving interactions from caregivers helps babies to develop social confidence and emotional security. Reciprocate babies' facial expressions, sounds and gestures to reinforce their communication and social skills. Encourage babies' development of social enthusiasm and confidence by letting them play alongside other babies, but always keep a close watch on them. Soothe a distressed baby with music as you hold them over your shoulder and sway gently. Stable routines help babies feel secure, so make bath time a calming part of babies' bedtime routine. Use a baby bath product with a soothing fragrance, such as lavender, to help babies relax and associate bath time with an approaching bedtime.

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