I am continuing a list of activities/games that can be played with the baby to help his development… or just for fun!
See our Baby Developing Games 0-3 months old.

• Move toys back and forth in front of the baby. Label, label, label: “The teddy-bear is moving LEFT, the teddy-bear is moving RIGHT… LEFT… RIGHT…”
• Throw a ball up and down in front of the baby and label this movement as well.
• Mirror: sit in front of mirror and say “hi” to your baby, to his foot, to his head, etc
• Clapping songs (scroll down for English and Russian clapping songs)
• Watch out of the window, fish tank, in of front moving washing machine
• Airplane: hold baby up high in the air; land baby on the nose (nuggle-nuggle-nose or носики-курносики in Russian) and fly again
• Repeat baby’s sounds
• Tape baby’s sounds and play back to him
• Keep a conversation with your baby making pauses for baby to responds. Pauses have to be long. It takes a baby up to a minute to respond! Don’t ask him the same question if he doesn’t answer: it’s your baby’s decision to participate in a conversation or not. As long as you give him a chance to say something, eventually he will surprise you by actually saying something! Actually, if you treat all baby’s sounds as language (and that’s what they are) – gurgling, sighing, blowing raspberries, cooing, – your respect and confidence in him would help your little one learn how to speak earlier.
• Let baby touch your lips as you are making sounds
• Sing a song with “ba-ba” sounds instead of words
• Kicking with feet: attach colorful objects to baby’s feet and watch him kick
• Teach baby to roll from tummy to his back: place baby on his back, play with a toy where he can see it, slowly move it to the side and watch baby’s head follow as he watches the toy. Keep moving the toy helping baby to roll on his belly
• Dance your baby on your lap.
• Play a song and beat a rhythm on a word “pop” with a drum stick:
All around the mulberry bush (or cobbler’s bench)
The monkey chased the weasel;
The monkey thought ’twas all in fun,
Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,
A penny for a needle—
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
• Dance around the room with a baby in your hands
• Bounce, rock the baby while he sits on your laps, or lies on your knees on his back
• Choo-choo-train: move the fingers up the arm, and back down as you say
Choo-choo-train, choo-choo train,
Going up the track
Toot, toot, toot, toot
Now it’s coming back
• Swing the baby in a swing
• Encourage wiggling: place baby on his tummy, lie in front of him and put a toy just outside of his reach. As the baby tries to get it, he will move a little. Praise generously to boost confidence.
• Let the baby spend lots of time on his tummy to learn how to crawl – crawling is actually a very important step in the development of the brain and should be greatly encouraged.
• Changing hands: put small rattle into baby’s hand, shake it. Show him how to transfer the rattle by putting empty hand on the rattle (he will automatically grab it) and undoing his fingers on the first hand
• Follow the light: turn on the flashlight, slowly move forward and back
• Where is the toy? Show baby the toy and hide. Ask: “Is it on the ceiling? Is it on the floor? Is it in my hands? Yes, here it is!”

Clapping song:
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
Where were you?
At granny’s!
What did you eat?
Porridge*!
What did you drink?
A little home-brewed beer**
The porridge is buttered,
The home-brewed beer is sweet,
Granny is kind!
For Russian Parents;
• Ладушки: хлопая в ладошки, распевваем
Ладушки, ладушки!
Где были? У бабушки!
Что ели? Кашку!
Что пили? Молочко*
Кашку поели, молочко попили,
Полетели, полетели (машем ручками)
На головушку – сели! (кладём ручки на головушку малыша)
Ладушки пропели! (вертим ладошками – фонарики-фонарики…)

Вместо молочка традиционно идёт “бражка”, но кто сегодня знает, что такое “бражка”?  Мы обычно заменяем на родное и знакомое малышу слово “молочко”, а у друзей я слышала “простоквашку”, что даже в рифму.)