Pass the HatAt this age, your baby is thrilled to be able to hold things in her hand. A game of pass the hat – or rather, grab the hat (or the nose) – will send her into smiles of surprised delight.
Appropriate for: 4 months to 1 year
Skills developed: Sense of cause and effect
What you'll need: A hat with a brim
With your baby on your lap facing you, place a hat on your head, then lean in close. Let your baby reach up to the hat and grab it off your head. She may even manage to put it back on your head (with a bit of help from you). You can switch to another brimmed hat, but don't do it too often, which can confuse your baby. When she's done playing with the hat, give her nose a gentle pinch, then wrinkle your own nose and lean as close as you can. Once she reaches for your nose, she may be surprised to find that she can't remove it!
Tickle a FunnyboneGames involving body parts are even more fun now that your baby can move his arms and legs whenever he wants. With this one, you can help him associate an arm, leg, or belly button with a name.
Appropriate for: 4 months to 1 year
Skills developed: Verbal, fine motor
What you'll need: A plastic puff such as those that come with shower gel
With your baby seated in a bath seat or in the tub itself (with you right there), saturate the puff with water, then approach your baby with the puff submerged under the water. Say, "I'm going to tickle your toes," and tickle them lightly with the puff, pulling it out of reach by the string if he makes a grab for it. Approach from different directions, saying, "I'm going to tickle your knees, I'm going to tickle your back, I'm going to tickle your bottom," each time pulling the puff away through the water when he tries to grab it. When he's older, you can let him hold the puff and show him how to tickle his own knees with it, or put your hand down into the water and let him take a turn tickling your fingers.
Note: Never leave a baby unattended in the water, even for a moment.
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