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Play and Learn

Three ways to nurture your baby’s development through play

By Patti Lucarelli, RN, MSN, CPNP

Rhyme Time

Believe it or not, your little one is ready to play with you almost from the moment she’s born. Simple rhymes sung to a classic melody will help her learn language and rhythm with the rise and fall of your voice.

A time-tested favorite is “Pat-a-cake.” Gently pat your baby’s hands as you sing and act out this rhyme:

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Roll it, pat it and mark it with a B.

And put it in the oven for baby and me! 

At first, your baby will listen and watch. After just a few rounds, she’ll anticipate the game with giggles and smiles. Eventually, she’ll request such games again and again. Through repetition, she is learning new skills as well as gaining control and mastery of her body and mind. Remain patient and positive, and enjoy this togetherness.

Read To Me

Because infants are great listeners, can identify familiar voices and make their own sounds, they easily engage in simple reading. Buy brightly colored cardboard or vinyl books that have pictures of faces and cheerful designs. As you read each page aloud, identify the images. Help your baby feel the page, and let him hold the book himself (with your help, of course). Infants explore the world with their mouths, so he may mouth the pages (a vinyl book may be ideal for the first few months).

Research shows that children who were read to as young babies and toddlers have improved language and communication skills and enhanced intellectual development as they get older. They are better prepared to enter school than children who weren’t. Plus, they’re more likely to develop a lifelong love of reading, which teaches them about people and the world, as well as how to handle different situations and feelings.

Let’s Play Peekaboo

A game that delights most infants is the classic “Peekaboo.” It’s perfect for playing during routine tasks like diaper changing, bathing and feeding.

Try this the next time you’re dressing your baby: Hide your face behind your hands for a second or two, then uncover your face, smile and say “Peekaboo!” Repeat this a few times, and your baby will respond with her own coos of joy. As she gets older, she’ll want you to repeat this again and again, and before she turns a year old, you can bet that she’ll be beating you to it, squealing and pulling your hands away herself. Don’t be surprised when she turns the tables on you: She’ll soon be covering her own eyes and squealing “Peekaboo!” Lots of learning is happening here, as your child starts to comprehend that something exists even if she can’t see it.

Patti Lucarelli, RNC, MSN, CPNP, is a pediatric nurse practitioner and childcare health consultant coordinator.