How Can You Help Infants Play?
All children are individuals and may enjoy different toys and interactions. The following are suggestions for activities and toys:
Age-Appropriate Suggestions
Birth to 1 month:
- Likes to be wrapped and/or held securely
- Likes the colors black, white and red
- Will be startled and disturbed by loud noises
What you can do as a parent:
- Sing and talk to your infant
- Play music softly
- Rock your infant, take him/her for walks
2 to 3 months:
- Likes bright objects
- Enjoys pictures and mirrors
- Likes rattles
- Enjoys infant swing
- Enjoys car rides
What you can do as a parent:
- Sing and talk to your infant
- Play music softly
- Rock your infant
- Take him/her for walks
4 to 6 months:
- Likes brightly colored objects
- Likes to hold toys
- Enjoys rattles
- Likes to splash in the bath, needs support and constant attention
- Likes swings and strollers
What you can do as a parent:
- Sing, talk and read to your infant
- Provide tummy time: Encourage your infant to crawl and sit by placing him/her on the floor
6 to 9 months:
- Enjoys toys with bright colors that move
- Likes to play peek-a-boo
What you can do as a parent:
- Call your infant by name
- Speak clearly to your child and encourage different sounds
- Name body parts, foods and people
- Play pat-a-cake
- Begin saying words that tell what you are doing
- Encourage your infant to crawl by placing toys beyond his/her reach
- Continue to cuddle, sing and read
9 to 12 months:
- Enjoys looking at books
- Likes naming animals and identifying animal sounds
- Enjoys large toys that can be pushed and pulled
What you can do as a parent:
- Take your infant to different places and outings
- Play ball with your infant
- Read to your infant
- Tell your infant names of body parts, objects and people
Age-Appropriate Toys
Birth to 6 months:
- Mobiles
- Mirrors that will not break
- Music boxes
- Stuffed animals with parts that cannot be swallowed
- Swings
- Board books
6 to 12 months:
- Rattles
- Teething toys
- Blocks
- Brightly colored toys
- Board books
- Balls
- Cup and spoon
- Manipulative, cause-and-effect toys
- Toys that can be pushed and pulled
