Your Are Your Child's Favorite Toy

Playing with your child is one of the most important ways to foster development. No need for fancy toys or expensive equipment. You are your child’s favorite toy! Playing with your child will grant you many rewards as your child will emit squeals of laughter and joy all while learning valuble skills.

There are a few rules you, as the parent need to know. Safety first! Make sure toys don’t have pieces that could come off and be swallowed. Get down on the floor and see what your child might be able to reach.Do you see any dangling cords or open outlets? When your child starts moving they will be exploring everything. Exploring through play is how they learn. Baby proofing your child’s play areas now will mean a lot less no-no’s you will have to say, and you will be saying no-no a lot!

Follow your child’s lead. They will tell you what is interesting to them. When your child sees your reaction in her discoveries they will want play more and more. Remember, playing is the way they learn! Playing with your baby is also a great stress reliever and creates good memories for the both of you. Play is truly the work of your child!

Next, remember your child is unique. Each child develops at their own pace. Your child may have special skills or needs. Watch carefully to see what your child is trying to do. Help them just enough that they manage to reach their objective or if they have accomplished the task show them the next step. You could place a favored object just out of reach and watch how your child tries to move toward it. Give lots of praise and celebrate when your child accomplishes the objective. You will be rewarded with big smiles and lots of baby talk.

The benefits of parent and child play are enormous. As you talk to your child they learn the sounds of words and the rhythm of language. Eye contact and back and forth conversation fosters communication skills. Cause and effect is discovered when your child copies your example and they too make the toy work. Your child perfects hand and eye coordination as he reaches for the object in your hand. They see colors, feel textures, smell different smells and even taste the object, allowing all his senses to develop.

As you can see play is very important for you and your baby. So spend some time playing with your child. The rewards are life changing for both of you!