Animal sound safari
Area: Gross Motor, Sensory, Cognition
Daily Routine: Playtime, Outings
Developmental Age Range: 25-30 Months, 31-36 Months
Description:
Encourage your toddler to explore new spaces and move independently while learning about animal sounds.
Use a recording of an animal sound (you can use an iphone, mini recorder, or a computer, any other record-able device) to record a familiar animal sound. If you can pair the sound with an animal toy, something related to the animal (collar = dog or cat) even better! Then there is a “prize” when they find the animal sound other than playing with your phone or computer (which you may not want the child to do)!
Place the animal sound source somewhere that you want to encourage your toddler to explore such as a toy box, their sock drawer, a play kitchen, etc.
Play the recording and ask the toddler to go find the animal. By searching the area to find the animal sound the child will be exploring an area with which you want to them to become familiar. This helps the child to understand their environment, and encourage safe exploration.
Once the child finds the animal sound/toy take the opportunity to talk about what animal makes that sound– and all the concepts that go along with that animal:
Where do you find this animal?
Is this animal a pet or a wild animal?
Does this animal have fur? scales? Feathers?
Needed Materials:
A device (phone, computer, etc) to play the animal sound and/or Something capable of recording the sound
A toy or object related to the animal sound (optional)
Baby Bounce
Area: Sensory, Social Emotional, Cognition, Literacy, Communication
Daily Routine: Playtime
Developmental Age Range: 1-6 Months, 7-12 Months
Description:
To encourage the child to participate in reciprocal play, the caregiver can sing a song or nursery rhyme while bouncing the infant on their knee. As the caregiver bounces the child higher and higher, the caregiver should raise their voice higher and higher. After playing this bouncing song game consistently, the child may begin to raise their arms when anticipating going higher on their caregiver’s knee. This reciprocal routine has allowed the child to interact with the caregiver instead of being a passive recipient in the activity, which benefits both the child and caregiver (Pogrund & Fazzi, 2002, pp. 205-206).
Source:
Pogrund, Rona L. & Fazzi, Diane L. (2002). Early focus: Working with young children
who are blind or visually impaired and their families, Second edition. New
York, NY: AFB Press.
**In the picture, the caregiver lifts the baby up and over to the opposite knee when singing “baby JUMP OVER.
Needed Materials:
None.
http://eiviprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/Baby-Bounce-Picture_3-150×150.jpg
Baby Massage
Area: Gross Motor, Sensory, Social Emotional
Daily Routine: Playtime, Bedtime/Nap, Bathtime
Developmental Age Range: 1-6 Months, 7-12 Months
Description:
Before children begin to walk, it is imperative that they learn about body awareness and where their body is in space. One of the first skills that a child must obtain is to recognize that their body is separate and different from the rest of the world. This developmental milestone symbolizes that the baby is aware of his or her own body and that he or she can control it. For children who have low vision or are blind, they must learn body awareness in other ways.
Mom or caregiver should begin by using a lotion that the baby prefers or tolerates. As mom massages the baby, she should name all of the body parts. For example, as mom rubs the lotion down the baby’s arm she should say, “I’m rubbing the lotion on your arm. Now let’s put the lotion on your other arm. Does that feel nice? Should we rub some lotion on your tummy? Okay, lets rub lotion on your tummy.” Be sure to use a firm touch and massage, as sometimes a soft touch can feel like a tickle and is not preferable to babies with low vision.
Needed Materials:
Baby Lotion
http://eiviprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/Baby-Massage.docx
Baby wearing
Area: Gross Motor, Social Emotional, Cognition, Communication
Daily Routine: Outside, Playtime, Outings
Developmental Age Range: 1-6 Months, 7-12 Months
Description:
Carry your baby with you in a preferred carrier as you do your daily chores. This experience gives the baby the feeling of balance, which begins with head control and then moves down the body: shoulders, trunk, hips, legs, feet. Positioning the baby to face forward introduces the baby to movement in space, even if you’re the only one actually doing the work.
Incorporating verbal descriptions of body movements and localization of sound sources will also help develop the baby’s concept development as well as communication and orientation skills, in addition to the gross motor skills.
Needed Materials:
Infant carrier, knapsack or sling
Baby Wipe Container & Large Plastic Caps
Area: Fine Motor
Daily Routine: Playtime
Developmental Age Range: 1-6 Months, 7-12 Months
Description:
Using an empty baby wipe container, and several large plastic caps of different bottles (not too small that the baby could choke), encourage the baby to pick up the caps, and put in the wipe container. As the caps go in, the child can shake the container and listen to the caps rattle. Then the child can work on pulling the caps out of the container. Child could also open the container (flip the lid), and dump out the caps.
Needed Materials:
Empty baby wipe container, several large plastic caps from bottles