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Best Toys for Infants
Best Toys for Infants
 If
you’ve discovered anything about your infant you know that
they love to play! It is important that tots have the opportunity
to play and interact while they are small. Playing should encourage
creativity, imagination, social skills and can even help with hand-eye
coordination. You can find toys that are ready-made, or make up
your own. Sometimes little one’s will even find things on
their own to play with that you hadn’t thought would be engaging
for them, this can be a lot of fun to watch and if you’re
creative enough, participate in!
How do you encourage play? There isn’t one
set answer to this question but providing many opportunities for
play is a good start. Some essential things to have in your home
for infants consist of soft blocks, stackable plastic rings, stuffed
animals, and musical toys, books, and more books, a play area with
balls, age appropriate puzzles, and coloring supplies. Having things
available for your infant is the first step, but you don’t
want to overwhelm him or her. Keeping just a few activities out
at a time is a good idea, otherwise the infant could start taking
the activities for grated, and lose interest before they’ve
even begun playing with them.
You may want your infant to have some contact
with others her age. Playgroups are a super way to get little ones
together once a week for fun with each other. Playgroups build socialization
skills that help your infant learn things like sharing, waiting
their turn, as well as finding new ways to
express themselves and their creative ideas. Finding or forming
a playgroup may take a little time on your part. Start in
the neighborhood. Are there other parents with infants? If so just
talking to them and making a play date is a good start. How you
decide to work your playgroup is up to you. Some parents like taking
the children to the park, others designate a home and take turns “leading”
the playgroup. It’s entirely up to you and your schedule and
style.
One of the most important things you can do as
a parent is read to your infant. The recommended reading time is
a minimum of 20 minutes a day. After meals your infant will probably
be a little tired, this is a great time to pull out a stack of books
and sit down to read together. Reading opens up new worlds, gives
the infant a greater vocabulary to express her or his ideas, and
fuels the imagination. The benefits of reading with your little
one cannot be overstated.
Since infants have individual personalities try
taking your cues from her. Some infants are happy to sit quietly
play while others like to be very active. Whatever you do make sure
they are having fun. The learning, at this stage, will come on it’s
own through enjoyable play.
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