From 3 months of age, baby and family are now settled into routines and have learned a lot about each other. This post will explore play and learning for my baby beyond 3 months of age, up to 18 months of age. This is what I like to call the explorer stage of baby's life, where they move through many milestones starting from stagnant play to crawling and then to walking and running. They grow, get teeth, learn new skills and begin to talk. Every child is different and will grow and learn at their own pace. The most important piece of advice I can offer is: DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
This stage is huge and so I will break it down into smaller periods. During this stage of solitary play I used baskets and a toy/work shelf inspired by a Montessori approach but not wholly and entirely following this approach. All the baskets were either based on baby's interests or a particular skill I believed was important for her at the time.
3-6 months
Continuing on from my post The Enchanting Stage: Newborn Play & Learning, babies should continue tummy time and sensory play with a variety of objects. When they approach 6 months of age they will be able to sit and roll and move about a lot more as they develop early crawling skills, so experiences that support them in developing these are best.
Tummy Time ideas:
coloured balls will encourage baby to move about as they roll on the mat
mirror or window decals will encourage oral language and stimulate sight as the colours reflect through the window or as the baby babbles to themselves watching their reflection
sensory bags or touch and feel fabrics taped to the floor to stimulate the senses and build thinking
animal figures or soft toys
Sensory experiences:
sitting with support to play an instrument eg: drums or xylophone
tummy time or a walk outdoors in different environments eg: the beach, the bush, garden.
going to a multi-ages park eg: one with a harness swing
baby led weaning: I started introducing foods from 4 months of age because my baby was ready and interested in foods, however some babies and families prefer to wait until they are closer to 6 months of age.
taste safe sensory play eg: some toys in a tray of chickpea foam
starting swimming lessons
Other experiences:
play groups
sitting in a trolley at the shops is a great way for baby to see other people and listen as you identify things
supported sitting with small board books
supported sitting with stacking toy or simple puzzle such as the silicone stacking figures are great introduction to problem solving
visiting the aquarium is good as baby can watch the sea creatures through the windows such as jellyfish. Visiting the zoo would not be as beneficial for this age because baby cannot see the animals or get close enough to interact and respond.
mess free painting is great if you have a baby (and are an adult) who doesn't like mess or the feel of stuff on their hands. Large sealable bags with a sheet of paper and paint work well.
supervised play with a pet or gentle animal.
7-12 months
While all previous experiences and ideas are still relevant, you'll find that you'll need to add something extra as baby grows and develops. I found that once baby was crawling and moving around more, there was a need to add more experiences to keep her engaged. This is why this stage is called "the explorer stage": babies will start to get into everything and want to inspect and investigate everything. There will be less tummy time because baby will be crawling about but sensory experiences along with oral language experiences, cognitive learning experiences, gross motor and fine motor development become more important. I used baskets mostly during this period:
oral language baskets:
fruits and vegetables with a book; using felt ones makes this more sensory and as baby explores them they hear you identify them by naming, singing a song or reading the book
animals with a book; using animals that resemble the real life animal makes this more sensory
sensory baskets; finding things safe to place in baby's mouth are tricky, but large pine cones, shells, textured fabrics and balls or sensory blocks worked well and were great to start developing language around touch-and-feeling.
fine motor experiences:
pulling toys; I used a formula tin with holes drilled in the lid and pieces of ribbon (burnt and tied at both ends to prevent fraying) to create a pulling toy
picking toys up
pretend meal time basket; using a fork and spoon
cars or moving toys
opening and closing lids/boxes
building with blocks
gross motor experiences:
placing toys further away to encourage crawling
soft play blocks to encourage crawling up a step or ramp
play cube to encourage standing
throwing or kicking a ball
playing chasing or crawling games eg: through a tunnel or around furniture
pulling and pushing toys
cognitive learning experiences:
object permanence toys support baby in developing problem solving skills and the concept of an object still exists if they cannot see it. These can be purchased or made using boxes and balls. Nesting eggs or dolls are good for this too.
colour sorting bowls, starting with the primary colours or black/white and moving onto 3-4 other colours. I used 1-2 objects for each colour so it wasn't overwhelming.
one-piece puzzles are great for playing peek-a-boo as baby discovers what's underneath.
chunky peg puzzles are great for problem solving.
social emotional experiences:
play group
identifying emotions and teaching strategies as baby experiences different emotions. They may not understand yet but for example, as my baby started to develop frustration when she couldn't do something, I used simple language over and over with her such as "it's tricky", "mummy help" or "help please".
a simple doll house or baby doll is great for beginning to learn about others and aspects of daily life. My husband made baby her dollhouse for her first birthday but simple ones can also be purchased.
a book or photos of family members. I made a book about our family with very thick hard pages using a photo book website and it has been a favourite. Over time, baby has been able to identify all the familiar faces close to her.
mirrors and self-care basket; the puzzles with a mirror are best, otherwise finding reflective surfaces safe for babies can be tricky. Include a wash cloth, toothbrush, hair brush and more to encourage baby to wipe their face, brush teeth or comb hair. This is great for developing self awareness and baby's ability to start to take care of themselves.
12-18 months
While all previous experiences and ideas are still relevant, I found that my little explorer became bored and disinterested easily so I needed to change the baskets up more frequently as she learned to identify objects and succeed with each quickly. I had a selection of puzzles and toys that were frequently rotated and as she began to walk and run and climb, I focused more on experiences that developed language skills and cognitive skills as I felt she was lacking in these areas. This does not mean that there was no sensory experiences or fine motor or gross motor experiences - they were all entwined throughout our day. Being an early riser, we focused on practising a new skill, oral language and learning baskets eg: puzzles in the morning when she was most engaged, then after her midday nap, we'd focus more on the motor and sensory experiences eg: playing outside or going for a walk. With these learning baskets, she developed the ability to name and match multitudes of animals, fruits, vegetables, forms of transportation, colours, objects and more. She went from what I believed to be delayed in her speech to saying many words within months.
Here are some additional experiences or ideas for an infant at this age:
peg puzzles
more complex object permanence toys
special events baskets: Christmas baskets containing wrapping paper to rip, folding christmas tea towels, sorting baubles, feeding the reindeer (flisat/trofast table insert), wrapping presents. Easter baskets containing nesting eggs, bunny colour matching, egg puzzles, egg chalk.
musical intruments; drums, xylophone, rattles, bells, castinets
matching animal figures or fruits/vegetables to picture cards
free the objects; ducks taped in a muffin tin, toys stuck in a basket, animals stuck in ice, animals in mud (cocoa powder and water)
shape sorters
colour sorting
sensory play with taste safe ingredients or natural ingredients
building and construction
using a learning tower to help in the kitchen or laundry
build a fort or cubby to play in
play at the park; baby may be able to start using the toddler slides or equipment when they are able to climb and walk.
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