Growing Together through Play

Play for your baby is touching, tasting, looking and listening. Play is essential for mental and emotional growth. Through play, babies learn about themselves and the world. Play helps the brain to develop and sets the stage for successful social interaction.

When babies are contented and alert, they are most ready and able to engage in interaction and play. Playing starts with looking at things, and listening to the world around them, and it progresses to touch and taste. These are the way your baby explores and learns about their new environment.

Through play, you can help your child to explore. These play sessions will start out small and grow as your baby grows. Notice as much as you can about your baby, their alertness and activity. Notice how they change each day. Try to imagine how your baby might feel and how he might experience the world. If your baby stops enjoying a game, try to communicate to your baby that you understand their distress.

Try and see which playing activities you both enjoy:

  • Singing songs, humming, or reading to your baby

  • Let them explore natural objects (keeping safety in mind, as soon as baby's can hold an object, it will go directly into their mouths).

  • Make faces and different noises. Imitate baby. Pause and watch their responses. When they look away, pause, and wait for them to look back.

  • Take your baby for a walk in the pram so they can see and hear different things.