Searching for Buried Treasure

I found this idea on a list of baby games on sparkpeople. My immediate reaction is that it's genius! So simple and yet so much fun. And, as you may have noticed if you've seen my last few posts, you can stretch it out and turn it into several different activities. We started with our bowl of wadded paper from our previous bit of fun. Paisley would've been content to just keep playing with the paper. 

We went ahead and took this game to the next level and added a toy (a stuffed monkey) to the mix. I showed her the toy and then buried it in the bowl of paper. She was not real happy about it disappearing and wanted it back. She dove right in after it. 

There it is!

As soon as Paisley got the monkey out of there, she started smothering the thing with hugs and kisses. It was really cute!

"Oh Mr. Monkey, I love you so much. *kiss kiss* I will never let that mean lady bury you in there again *kiss kiss kiss*"

The Amazing Disappearing Toy

Today we tried a new game with Paisley that is kind of a spin off of Peek-a-boo. I most recently saw this idea on Productive Parenting, but it's in just about any list of things to do with infants. 

I started by propping Paisley up with some pillows against the couch (she's so close to sitting independently but is just not quite there yet) and gave her a toy to play with. I wanted to make sure that the toy I'd selected would catch her interest. 

I'd say she looks pretty interested, how about you?

 Next, I covered the toy with a blanket. It was still within reach, but out of sight. As soon as the toy disappeared, Paisley would start looking around her frantically. I couldn't decide if she was looking for the toy we'd been playing with or just something new to do since her toy was gone. She never did try to reach for her toy, or move the blanket.

Whoa, where'd it go?

I found it!

Again, notice she's moving in this one. The instant the toy was out of sight she'd start looking all over the place. 

I just loved how excited she was to see her toy every time I uncovered it!

The biggest thing this activity helps with is the development of object permanence. Eventually the idea that the toy is still there will stick and Paisley will start trying to get to the toy under the blanket. I think she must be pretty close to that point since she does act like she's looking for something when it's gone.

Paisley + Puppets, Take 2

You may remember what happened last time I tried to get Paisley to play with a puppet. Let's just say it didn't go real well. I was sitting on the couch with her today trying to decide what to do with a few minutes of one on one time together and saw the puppet on the top of they toy box. It's been a few months, so I decided to give it another shot. 

 She had so much fun this time! She was smiling and squealing and just eating the whole thing up, sometimes literally!

She went back and forth between flirting with the puppet, to trying to grab it and eat it.

 I wish I had a better shot of her squealing at the teddy, but every time she'd get excited, she started thrashing around, so this is as good as it gets.

 

If you need a reminder of the benefits of playing with puppets, click on the link towards the top of this post, or go here.

Peek-A-Boo Song

In my first Peek-A-Boo post, I posted a link at the bottom to a cute little peek-a-boo song that I'd found. We've been singing that song any time we play peek-a-boo, and Paisley really loves it! Just thought I'd share a video of our fun.  

The music helps to keep her attention, and just adds a whole new dimension to the fun. She was pretty distracted by the camera, so you don't get to see how she normally reacts. She often laughs out loud while we're singing this song, she just loves it! Try it with your little one and see what they think.

Peek-A-Boo!

We all know and love peek-a-boo, it's something almost every mom does with her babies. But, did you know it's not just for fun? Playing games like peek-a-boo helps your child develop an important cognitive skill, Object Permanence.

I've actually been putting off this post, trying to find a way to get a cute picture of Paisley and I playing Peek-a-Boo, but I'm just not smart enough to figure out how to make that work. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that we were playing Peek-a-Boo the day we took this one. 

What's object permanence? Well, when something disappears from your sight you know it hasn't ceased to exist, it's just hiding somewhere. You know this because you have a firm grasp of object permanence. When an object disappears from a baby's sight, in their mind it no longer exists. Poof! Just like that the toy you were playing with is gone forever. The baby won't try to find it, or wait for it to come back because to them it is now non-existent. No wonder infants hate to see mom or dad walk away from them, for all they know they'll never see them again.
So, you can see the benefits to helping an infant get a grasp on the idea that things don't just disappear into oblivion. Peek-a-boo, and other games like it, help to teach this concept to an infant. Now don't expect them to get it after the first round of hide and seek, children often don't fully understand this idea until they are 8-12 months old. That doesn't mean you shouldn't work on it though.
Want to know more about object permanence, or Peek-a-Boo? Check out this site, she also has a really cute Peek-a-Boo song that will help to hold a young infant's attention while you play. Paisley really loves it!