DESCRIPTION
The Most Complete Book of Games and Learning Activities for Babies & Preschoolers! Child development expert Penny Warner offers over 300 illustrated ideas for games and activities designed to stimulate your child’s learning and development. For each game and activity, The Play & Learn Bundle includes: recommended ages, a list of the skills that your child learns through play, a detailed list of easy-to-find materials, step-by-step instruction, clear illustrations, variations for added fun and enhanced learning, and safety tips and other helpful hints. The Baby and Preschooler Play & Learn Bundle is designed to help children reach their full potential and have a good time along the way. It is a quick and easy reference guide full of new ideas for busy parents.
Highlights
- INTRODUCTION (Location 123)
- Keep the following three things in mind: 1. Your baby learns primarily through play. 2. The best plaything for your baby is you. 3. Have fun with your baby! (Location 132)
- Babies learn through their senses. Provide lots of stimulating materials for your baby to look at, listen to, taste, touch, and smell. Keep in mind—the best toy for your baby is one that stimulates all five senses—and that’s you! • Babies respond to a rich environment. That doesn’t mean that you have to provide your baby with hundreds of toys. You should, however, select developmentally appropriate toys, offer your baby a variety from which to choose, and let your baby have plenty of time to play. Remember, simpler is better. The simpler the toy, the more complex the play. • Babies learn from imitation. Babies like to do what everyone else does. You play the game first, and your baby will learn from you. Be sure to use lots of body language and facial expression while you demonstrate the game, activity, or toy. Better yet, let an older child be a role model for your baby to imitate. Babies love to play with other kids. • Babies learn from different kinds of play. Games and activities help babies better understand their feelings, their fears, and their world. Babies like to play — alone, so they can set the pace, solve their own problems, and make their own choices. — with others, so they can observe other types of play, learn new ways of exploring, and become social in their play. — quietly, with fingers, toes, books, music, finger toys, and language. — actively, using their arms and legs to move, throw, bounce, and dance. — make-believe, when they become monsters, doggies, mommies, daddies, superheroes, and cartoon characters. Another variation of make-believe play is when babies act out home life, daycare, preschool, hospital visits, birthday parties, holidays, or even funerals. • Babies learn from repetition. Babies love to play games over and over and over. Start with a simple task, make it fun, then make it more challenging over time, as your baby becomes better able to process information, use his body, and interact with others. Your baby’s favorite word will soon be “Again!” • Babies develop through experience. Although babies begin playing and learning by watching others, being onlookers won’t satisfy them for long. Your baby wants to be a doer. Get your baby involved with the environment at every opportunity. No baby is too young to take the most basic steps toward playing and learning. Let your baby try, and offer your help only when needed. • Babies get smarter by problem solving. Set up simple skill-building tasks for your baby to solve, and increase the challenge as your baby develops. Keep the challenges easy to solve, so your baby doesn’t become frustrated and stop trying, yet challenging enough to keep your baby entertained and interested. Help your baby build small steps of success on the way to solutions. • Babies learn through language. Talk to your baby while you play, and explain what you’re doing and why. Babies often understand more than we think, and explaining the purpose or directions of a game, activity, or toy is a… (Location 145)