Exploration & Discovery Activities for Infants

Visual Interest

• As a young infant, your baby will do much of her exploring with her eyes, since she doesn't have full control over the movements of her arms and hands, and cannot reach for the things that interest her yet. Offer interesting toys and books with bright colors and high-contrast images for her to look at. Move them slowly in front of her face and watch as she follows them with her eyes. This is called tracking and, not only does it allow your little one to explore her environment, it helps to build visual skills, according to the ZeroToThree.org. Bring your baby with you to various parts of the house or let her watch out the window and talk about the things that you see together. Take her to a large mirror and let her look at herself while you point to her different body parts. You will be providing her with more visual stimulation, and you will also be helping her to develop language skills.

Exploring Sounds

• Babies often begin experimenting with sounds at a very young age. You will hear your baby "talk" to you using coos, grunts and squeals. When you respond to her with her own sounds or with talking, she will learn about the give-and-take of conversation. According to HealthyChildren.org, sometime after she is 4 months old, your little one will begin to produce babbling sounds that include some consonants, such as m, b, p and d. At first she is simply finding out what her lips and tongue can do while she makes sounds, but eventually she will connect those explorations with meaning. For example, when she says "ma-ma" and it brings happy faces and excited responses, she will quickly learn that that is a sound she wants to repeat. As your baby babbles, respond as if you understand her and you will be helping her see that she can use sounds to get things she wants, such as attention from you.

Using Her Hands and Mouth

• Your baby learns by using her senses, and the sense of touch is one of the most important. Offer objects with different textures, such as a soft blanket or a bumpy teething ring and bring them close to her so she can feel them. An infant gym -- a mat that has places to dangle interesting objects -- is a good toy for your infant as she learns to reach and grab. According to Scholastic Teachers, after about 6 months old, your baby will enjoy holding small toys in her hands. She will likely put most things in her mouth to explore them further, so make sure you only offer her safe toys and ones that cannot be swallowed or that do not present a choking hazard. Another way to help her discover is by varying the surface that you place her on for playtime so she can feel the different textures of the carpet, or the soft grass outside.

Discovering Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect is one of the most important concepts that infants learn and they begin to discover it at a young age. Usually at around 3 to 4 months of age, your baby begins to kick her legs and move her arms with more control. If you place rattles or other toys dangling within her reach, she will connect her movements to the sounds she is producing. As she grows, she will continue to experiment with the concept of cause and effect, wondering what other effects she can have on the world around her. She will shake and bang most toys to see what noises she can make and what responses she can get. When she discovers that dropping her spoon from her highchair gets an exasperated look from you, she will want to repeat the experiment several times. Stack some blocks and let her knock them down, and this will soon become a fun game that helps her understand how her actions produce results.