Babies/ Wobblers
Fluffy Play Area
My experience working with babies and wobblers has shown me that they LOVE fluffy animals/ Teddies.
They love when you empty them all out onto a mat and they can explore them.
They love to see and feel EVERYTHING!
These activities allow them to do all of that and they have so much fun in a safe way.
It is a great sensory activity for them to do, many teddies have different texture, fabrics, colours etc,
If you have a small pool or box inside, allow the child to sit in the pool or let them take the teddies out from the box. THEY WILL LOVE IT!
Mirror time
They LOVE looking at themselves in the mirror.
This activity is so simple yet something that they enjoy.
Get the child to sit or stand Infront of the mirror, doing just this will be enjoyable for them, it’s a great way for them to recognise themselves.
Play Peek-a-Boo while looking in the mirror with your child.
Clap your hand – this shows motions and how to do it themselves.
Also, sing songs that have movement in it, that way the baby can put actions to their favourite songs.
This is a good time to teach your baby different things, like parts of the body (point to their part of the body and name it and you do the same to your body part), start building vocabulary.
Even some daily routines you have like, brushing hair, putting on lotions, washing hands can be done Infront of the mirror and will help teach the baby basic hygiene for the future when they are independent and want to start doing things on their own.
Sensory Bags or Bottles
This is also something they enjoy so much, Sensory Bags/Bottles!
They are so easy to make - all you need is:
Lunch bags (with a seal)
Bottle (make sure the lid is sealed well)
Add different things to each bag:
Paint- 2 or more together and let them mix it up.
Rice
Glitter
Pasta
Water- you can add a bit of soap, glitter etc.
Sand
Add anything you like, once it is child friendly.
Cereal Play
Something I tried with the babies and wobblers is cereal play, yes this can be messy but they enjoy it so much.
All you need is cereal and table mat or an area you don’t mind getting messy and is easy to clean.
Pour the cereal onto the floor, e.g. Rice Krispies.
They will enjoy hearing the noise of the cereal as they crawl or walk over it and also picking It up and letting it fall from their hands.
It’s messy play, they are going to enjoy this activity!
Be aware of any allergies when doing this activity.
Hiding toys
You will need:
Tissue box
Toys - that fit into the box
Simply put the toys into the box and let the child take them out.
This is a great way to help with the children concentration and fine motor skills.
Pegs
Get some spare pegs, place them on the child’s clothing that they are wearing such as their sleeve (careful not to pinch the skin) and they can spend time trying to remove the peg.
This will help to improve the fine motor skills as it will encourage the child to use their fine motor skills when trying to remove them peg.
Tape
Another simple yet fun activity is placing duct tape on the ground or onto the child’s clothing that they are wearing and allowing them to peal it off the ground or themselves.
This helps concentration and fine motor skills as well as them doing a fun activity.
You can also tape animals or objects to a tray, door or window and allow the child to try and free the object.
Messy Painting
Get a big sheet of paper or tape many pieces together so you have a big surface.
(Place towels around to keep floors clean)
Allow your child to wear old clothes or just their nappy.
Pour paint onto the paper that is laid out and allow your child to have fun by rolling, walking on, crawling, sitting, touching the paint. They will love it!
These are just a few activities that we would do as part as our weekly/ daily routine that I feel like you would be able to do at home. I hope you and the children enjoy them.
Stay safe and I hope to see you all soon,
Sending all my love and many hugs,
Letisha.