Daily Darlings - July 07, 2013

Today's Activities - July 7, 2013
*If starred look below for age requirements and alternative activities!*

• SENSORY: Spend some time in front of a mirror today!
• What you can do to enhance this activity: Point out all the parts of the body -- on you & your child and encourage her to touch them both on herself and in the mirror.
• LANGUAGE: Imitate his sounds.
• How to and why: 
• Younger infants: Listen to her oohs and aahs and mimic them back at her to help teach about the back-and-forth flow of communication.
• Older infants: Encourage baby's attempts at language by acting like you understand her babbling of (like "ma", "da", "ba") by responding enthusiastically and trying to make sense of these primal attempts. "Did you say 'ba'? Do you want your bottle?" "Dada is at work/mama is at work. But they'll be home soon!"
• COGNITIVE: Play peek-a-boo. 
• What you are teaching: "Your baby learns that you can disappear and come back—and that some activities have regular patterns (which helps your baby learn to predict!). Peek-a-boo also gives your child experience with interpreting facial expressions—like happy and surprised—which helps her connect meaning with these expressions." -Leap Frog
• Learn more by visiting Leap Frog: Peek-a-Boo!
• PHYSICAL/MOTOR: Daily tummy time.
• What is this/how to: "During tummy time, your baby lays on her belly to play while you supervise. Since your baby sleeps on her back to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), she needs to spend some of her awake time on her stomach to develop physically and mentally." -WebMD
• What this develops: "On her tummy, your baby lifts her head, which strengthens her neck and upper back muscles. Being able to move her head reduces your baby’s risk of SIDS because she can move away from anything smothering her. Strong muscles let your baby roll over, sit, and crawl.
  Tummy time also gives your little one a different view of the world. Spending time on her stomach also helps your baby's head become round instead of developing flat spots on the back of her head." -WebMD
• Learn more by visiting WebMD: Tummy Time!
• SOCIAL: Try infant massage today!
• Why: Infant massage helps foster a bond between you and your child through skin to skin contact. It helps him to feel your love and compassion! 
• How to: Check out this amazing article from Parents.com. It not only has a video but great detailed instructions as well! How to Massage Baby