Playing is an integral part of a child’s development. Being playful is a crucial component for a child, as it helps them stay active and alert. As they grow up, playing will aid them to make critical decisions by developing their analytical skills. In other words, playing with toys can help babies develop essential skills. As parents, you must encourage your babies to play games by demonstrating or teaching them how to play them. There are several ways to play with your newborn, which we explain in this blog. There are several ways to play with your newborn, which we explain in this blog.
Why should you play with your newborn?
Babies share a very close relationship with their parents, so they are often seen as the first playmates of a newborn. Playing with toys or parents is the initial form of play introduced to a newborn. You should provide toys to your newborn that can produce different types of sound and music with bright lights. As their brain develops, this helps develop sensory, cognitive, and motor skills.
The following are some of the reasons why playing with newborns is important for parents:
- Pique their interests:
- Figure out bodily movements:
- Motor skills:
- Emotional development:
Newborns are always curious about exploring their environment. Engaging in games allows them to explore what is in front of them or the situation of play they are put in. This helps them develop their thinking process.
Babies learn to control their body movements as they learn to play. Parents should teach them to play through body movements, and the newborn should observe and copy the same actions. This, in turn, teaches them muscle movement and coordination.
the fine motor skills of newborns begin to develop as they indulge in games.
Babies learn to express their emotions as they develop during play. Parents could observe the different reactions of the newborn during play, which is a sign of emotional development in the baby.
How to play with a newborn
Playing with a newborn could be easier, but the type of games you play with your newborn could be challenging. This is because newborns are quick learners, and they lose interest once they have learned the game. They have a curious mind where their mind tends to shift attention to the surroundings once they are done learning about them. You have to indulge in games that capture the attention of the child quickly and piques their curiosity.
Strategies to set before playing with your newborn
Newborns can lose interest in a game if it is not interesting enough. Forcing them to indulge in a specific type of game while they are hungry, sleepy, or disinterested could create negative emotions in them; this can be expressed through irritation, crying, or by ignoring. Hence, it is essential to help newborns develop interest first, and this can be done through various strategies.
The following list explains various strategies to help you build interest in your newborn’s play.
- Include various types of sounds in the games as you play, with variations in the volume. This will help them build interest through hearing skills.
- Use colorful and bright toys for newborns, as they are attracted to brighter colors, which eventually develop interest.
- Use props that are interesting for the baby to explore while playing games. This can increase the curiosity about the prop and eventually develop an interest in playing with you as you use the prop to play games with the baby.
- Use different strategies and switch from one game to another during play. This will prevent boredom from doing the same action repeatedly when they have already learned the game and cause them to lose interest when there is nothing more to learn.
- Encouraging and motivating the newborn to play games through voice modulation, clapping, showing excitement by jumping, etc., could enable them to play games as they learn.
- Set a defined newborn playtime where you know their food timings, sleep timing, etc. The timings help ensure the baby is at their energy peak and willing to play games with you.
Strategy-building to engage newborns in games could be challenging but possible. With defined strategies, you can also develop games and create variations to retain a newborn’s interest. Toys will always be the most extensive support for parents as they indulge in games to play with their newborns. Additionally, parents should observe their children’s movements and demonstrate movements that could support them in the game.
At Kangaroo Kids International Preschool, we develop exciting games to help your child learn as they play. Contact us today for a playful journey for your child, wherein playing games is the new strategy for the learning and development of a baby.
References:
Sadatovna, R. H., & Nurullaeva, S. (2021). The importance of games in children’s socialization. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 11(6), 227-233. https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:aca&volume=11&issue=6&article=039
Schrier, K. (2021). We the gamers: How games teach ethics and civics. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rTkqEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=newborn+baby+and+games&ots=6u_Imlfqda&sig=9k4ififW20U2Xt4_YjPhuot3Zfw
Veresov, N., & Veraksa, N. (2023). Digital games and digital play in early childhood: a cultural-historical approach. Early Years, 43(4-5), 1089-1101. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09575146.2022.2056880
