Activities with babies! This week... MUSIC!

Ok, I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself twiddling my thumbs and thinking to myself, is there cheaper and more meaningful way to help my baby learn (and by learn, I mean learning through play!) I have all the fun (and sometimes, expensive) toys, I interact with her daily, but is there more? (and if I can do more and cheaper...bonus!)  I am always seeking out new activities to do with our sweet little ones, that are not only FUN, but also teaching and enhancing their development! (And they don't cost a ton of money!)

Yes- this is my babe's new favorite toy.

This week, it's all about music!  All you need are the things you already have around your home!  We all have empty soda cans, formula tins, extra bottles, plastic water bottles, etc. laying around the house (and if you don't, you will eventually, right?!)  I bet you also have a bag of dried beans, dried pasta/rice, or random paperclips from your office.  Here is the thing, infants just LOVE noises- they observe noises, they make noises, they are soaking it all in.  So why not make music with your baby?  Ok... I am not talking about singing Kumbaya (but if thats your thang, go for it!), or doing a recording session.  It is so much more simple than that!  Ready? Set? Go...!

 

Take your empty tubes and fill them with different things.  I filled a baby food jar with rice (and hot glued the lid on it!), a water bottle with a quarter of the water in it and added jingle bells (that I had from Christmas time!) and a baby bottle that I don't use filled with dried kidney beans from our cupboard.  Ledoux LOVED it!  She had so much fun playing with the new noises, and banging the tubes against the floor.  Of course, with anything, make sure you keep an eye on your babe at all times while they are playing (you don't want your 'instruments' to come open!)  I double triple made sure the containers I used were secure (you can't have too much duct tape and hot glue!) and was on the floor playing with her the whole time.

Sooooo now that you have your fabulous instruments constructed, what now?  Try doing these things with it:

• Shake it (like a salt shaker).. Ok, sorry for the musical reference.  I couldn't help myself :)  But seriously, shake it with your babe and different speeds!
• Roll it: roll it on the floor, down an incline, help your baby discover all the different ways to play with it!
• Drum it: exactly what it sounds like!
• Play "copy the sounds!" You make a sound, and then encourage your baby to make the same sounds/beats/shakes
• Have a DANCE PARTY! Ledoux isn't walking or talking yet, but that doesn't stop me from making lots of noise and dancing with her!  Blast some music, shake your instruments (and your bum!) and have some fun... Not gonna lie, I kinda want to have a dance party right now. (I still can't get the shake it like a salt shaker song out of my head...!)  I think Ledoux and I might have to pull that one up on the Ipod and dance to it with our shakers now! 

Oh- and on a totally random and unrelated note, I wanted to share some advice with all of the mamas out there... Don't ever put you babe in arms reach of a wine bottle.  Your welcome. :)

Baby Brain Power!

Ok...so am I alone in thinking I am not doing enough to help my baby learn?  I mean, the kid has a million toys (I swear I pick up something new for her in the toy aisles at target every week), but is there more to little babies then the flashy toys? What should I be doing to help her learn, grow, develop...  I started thinking about this, and realized I needed (or wanted, I suppose) to be more intentional in my interactions with my little babe.  Every word I say, every toy I give her...she is pulling and learning from EVERYTHING.  If  that isn't scary, I don't know what is (enter the new cuss jar we are trying to use in our house!)


All jokes aside, I am sure alot of you have heard of cognitive development.  But what in the HELL does that even mean?  At the simplest point, it is baby brain power.  We all want our babies to be little smarty pants, so take a moment to think of the traits 'smart' people have...ability to focus, to plan, to remember.  I want my baby to be able to do those things! (Crap...I want to do those things!)  By the time your baby reaches eight months old, rapid connections to their brain’s frontal lobes (where these functions will be housed) are starting to form.  Ok, so now you probably think I am going to tell you to start reading psych books to your kids... NO.  Some of the most simple of activities can enhance your babies brain power.  Every week, I am going to start posting some awesome things us Mommy's (and daddy's!) can do to start encouraging and growing our own generation of smarties! 

Activity for this week is SIMPLE: Let your baby lead.  Don't teach. Allow (and encourage) your sweet little baby to do what they want (provided it is safe) even if that means going ape shit with a potted plant for a photo shoot (see my St. Patricks day post if you are confused!) If they see a roll of toilet paper and want to reach for it, let them. What is the worst that is going to happen?  They completely unroll the entire roll...and you have a awesome photo for the baby book!  Put different toys in front of them, and let them decide which they want to play with. Let go of any pressure you feel to teach them something and instead help them explore what they are interested in...you are planting seeds for ideas, passion, and follow through that will be crucial in later life.