More Than Just Child’s Play: Parents and Experts Talk About How and Why to Play with Babies

Talk to your baby

“The most important thing parents can do is talk, even when you’re sure that (the baby) can’t understand. You’re making the child feel recognized, building a bond, and stimulating (learning skills),” says Allana Elovson, the director of Parent Education Resources.

“When nursing, in a very soft voice, you can talk to your baby,” says Jafari. “Make a noise, and then the baby makes a noise, and keep going like that. With my baby, sometimes the noise was too much. Light touching would help her calm down.”

Ross Steidl talks to her children “about everything we are doing and seeing. At the park, I ask questions while we play with sand, climb on play structures, explore flowers,” she says.

Echo what your baby does

“When my son was 7 months old,” says Donna Waldman, mother of one year old boy, “we’d read the same story. At first, he would just bang on the book, then I would bang on the book. When he was 5 or 6 months old, he screeched a lot. I would screech back, and he would stop and look at me. I think he learned, ‘This was fun, and what I do affects (others).’”

Jafari recalls playing with her daughter’s stuffed dog. “I gave the dog a kiss, and put the dog on my chest. She took the dog, gave the dog a kiss, and put the dog to her chest and made nursing sounds. We played that for a long time.”

Include play during everyday activities—and with everyday items

Playing with your baby doesn’t have to be “pushing toy cars or dressing up dolls,” says Ross Steidl. “When you’re doing laundry, infants can have a blast being put in the middle of the laundry pile and climbing out of it.”

“I would give Johnny items to put in a plastic cup,” says Jimenez, “and he would play putting them in and taking them out.” Waldman says her son used Tupperware for instruments or would “pretend they were hats and go around giggling with Tupperware on his head.”

Jamgochian’s adds that her daughters “love playing with blankets and pillows, they like to feel different textures. They like looking at magazines or junk mail.”

“I taught my children sign language,” says Jan Tengel, mother of twins. “It is fun to do while we wait. I make everything a game. Washing spoons and bowls in soapy water at the sink, learning ABCs with songs, numbers with clapping.”

“Even the grocery store can be fun,” says Ross Steidl, “when you push the cart quickly down the aisle, or make silly faces, or let kids hold a banana and pretend it’s a phone.”

Play games—and get moving

“My girls love when I sing to them,” says Jamgochian, “especially songs (with gestures), because they hear me and see me. Rebecca (started putting) her hands up during Itsy Bitsy Spider and I got really excited. I praised her, so she kept doing it. When I play one-on-one with the girls they seem more secure, not as needy or whiny.”

Waldman says her son “loves balls. We take turns, or pass the ball to each other. He smile(s) when he get(s) the ball from me.”

Tengel says her twins “love music and motion, rocking and singing. We play around the house chasing and catching and tickling. We all love to dance together. The most interesting play for my kids is interactive with me,” she adds.

Resources

• Zero to Three: parent tips in English and Spanish, www.zerotothree.org/ztt_parents.html

• National Association for the Education of Young Children, www.naeyc.org/ece/research.asp

• For parenting classes, contact your child care resource and referral agency or your local First 5 Commission.