"With...bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes"

I got the idea for this activity from Productive Parenting (which is a totally awesome site, I highly recommend it!), and I've been meaning to give it a try for a while. Well, today I finally pulled out some of Erik's old socks and a few jingle bells from my crafting supplies and we were ready to go in just a few minutes. 

I was really curious to see how Paisley would react. When Erik was her age he HATED jingle bells, so I was pretty cautious with Paisley. Luckily, she loved it!

 After a few minutes of just listening to the bells jingle when she kicked, she discovered that she could reach down and grab the bells, and that is what she really loved. She sat and played with the bells for a long time, and enjoyed every minute of it!

A word of Warning: Due the to metal edges on the bells, I don't think the string will stand up to much pulling and tugging, which means the bells may come off sooner than you might expect. They are small enough to pose a choking hazard, so make sure this activity is supervised and remove any bells that baby manages to pull off. If you notice the string wearing or fraying, replace ASAP.
That being said, despite a (slight) potential choking risk, this little game has some good benefits. It encourages baby to kick and move her legs which builds her large muscles in her legs. It helps her be aware of her body and its location in space. It also teaches her that her actions can have consequences, however small, and that she has some control over her environment.