From birth to one year, a child goes a long way in his development: from a helpless crumbs he quickly turns into a dexterous and inquisitive toddler who, along with food, water and the love of parents, requires new impressions, emotions and knowledge. If parents pay due attention to the development of their baby, he will grow more harmonious, balanced, happy. In this article we will introduce you to educational games for children who are not yet a year old.
1 month
At this age, the baby's senses are actively "tuned in". Therefore, developmental activities should be based on tactile sensations - the only way a child can understand the world so far.
Stroke him often, talk to him. The baby cannot yet clearly see the toys, but his gaze for a few seconds already focuses on something specific: basically, the little one is trying to examine the mother's face. This is the most interesting activity for him so far. Therefore, build "conversations" on the change of facial expressions, smiles.
2 months
Now the baby knows how to keep his head lying on his stomach, focus his gaze on a bright toy for a minute, he tries to turn the head left and right. Educational games for this age are aimed at training eyesight - move the toy slowly in front of the child's face at a distance of 35-40 centimeters. This will allow him to learn to keep track of objects.
Tinkle lightly with a rattle, first to the right of the baby, then to the left - this will develop his hearing.
3 months
At this age, the child begins to emotionally communicate. There are first attempts to walk, he recognizes mom, dad, smiles. Build developmental activities on the development of the emotional sphere. Recite verses to him with expression, while trying to intonate with your voice as brightly as possible.
Koshkin's rhyme
One, two, three, four, five,
The cat wants to count.
Because she is a little
Adds a cat to the mouse.
She has such an answer -
There is a cat, but no mouse!
Kid's counting room
One, two, three, four, five,
My baby will go for a walk.
Very soon my baby
Will stomp along the path.
My dear friend will grow up -
Will count everything around!
From this age, it is very useful to listen to soft, pleasant music for a quarter of an hour, and also be sure to sing your songs to your baby, even if nature has not given an ideal musical ear and voice.
4 months
A child at this age is very curious. He already knows how to grab objects and even tries to drag them into his mouth. Build a developmental activity with your son or daughter on the development of tactile sensations. Give him different pieces of fabric (silk, chintz, satin, velveteen), the kid will be happy to sort through them, learning new sensations in his fingers.
Large bright beads and buttons can be strung on a strong thread or elastic band. This "garland" should be hung in close proximity to the crumbs, so that he could reach and touch objects with his hands. Many toddlers are enthusiastic about picking round, flat and embossed objects.
5 months
The kid is very mobile, he is already well tossing and turning from side to side, some are trying to sit. Movement is what interests the baby the most now. Build educational games on simple physical exercises, during which you can read already known rhymes to him, sing songs. For example, the game "Let's go" is well suited for this age:
Mom lies on the sofa on her back, puts the child on her stomach so that his back rests on her bent legs:
We went - went to the woods for nuts!
On bumps, along paths, along small stumps!
Suddenly a hole was caught, Kolya (Petya, Dima, Olya, Lena, etc.) in a hole BUKH!
At the same time, the mother slightly spreads her legs, holding the baby by the handles, so the crumbs lose support in the back area. For a few seconds, without releasing his hands, you can lower it down and raise it again.
Talk to your child more: now the so-called inner speech is actively forming - he cannot yet say, but he already remembers how it should sound. Show your baby objects often and name them loudly and clearly. Encourage babbling because now is the time to move from babbling to emotional babbling.
6 to 12 months
Starting from six months, it is advisable to deal with the child every day, because now not only his body, but also the brain, its various departments, is rapidly developing. Therefore, the existing developmental methods imply not only classes aimed at developing individual skills. It is preferable to choose games that will be a combination of different cognitive processes.
Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers knew the best games, modern psychologists and children's teachers supplemented them with their own developments. The result is a rather impressive list of developmental exercises and games, some of which we will try to cover in a little more detail:
- "Hide and Seek". This game develops the child's emotional sphere, short-term memory, and reaction. After a year or two, the baby will be happy to run and hide for real, but for now, the mother can imitate the process of disappearance. It is enough to cover your face with your hands and say: “Where is my baby?”, And then open your palms, smile and answer yourself: “Here he is!”.
Such simple amusements cause strong positive emotions in most children, the crumbs liven up, they really like to play mini-hide and seek. At 8-9 months, you can show your child a toy, and then hide it somewhere nearby so that the baby can see where. And therefore together it is "to seek".
- "Magpie". This game, known to all of us from childhood, develops fine motor skills, coordination of movements, imagination and speech of the baby. With the index finger of one hand, move the palm of the other in a circular motion:
Forty thief, cooked porridge,
She fed the kids ...
And then start bending the fingers on the hand on which the porridge was being cooked:
I gave to this, I gave to this,
This has given and this has given.
And this one (pointing at the little finger) didn't get it.
Then the fingers need to start unbending one at a time in the reverse order:
You carried water, you chopped wood,
You served cereals, you interfered with a spoon,
And you, the smallest, did not help in any way!
Usually it is enough to show the baby this funny game several times, and he himself begins to repeat the movements after the mother.
If this does not happen, you can help the baby, take his pens in his own, and show how this is done.
- "The Brave Pilot". The good old “fly-fly” has always been the best way to distract a child from whims and bad moods. But for this game it is best to invite dad or grandfather, because babies after 6-7 months already weigh enough for mom to find it hard to lift them with outstretched arms above her head. The essence of the game is quite simple - the child must be lifted horizontally, placing his hand under his chest, and imitate the sound of a flying plane. Such a game perfectly trains the vestibular apparatus of the child, gives him the opportunity to look at the world around him from a great height for him.
- "Building a house"... If the child sits well and crawls confidently, you need to scatter bright cubes on the floor (without sharp corners), preferably plastic ones. The child's task is to get to the cube, take it and give it to his mother, who will build a house or a turret from the elements collected by the child. This is not only an excellent physical training, but the development of logic, imagination, coordination of movements. Each successful attempt to take "building materials" should be emotionally praised, then the process will give the baby real pleasure.
- "Okay". One of the best games of many generations: even our great-grandmothers, without the advice of teachers and psychologists, guessed that clapping is very beneficial for the development of motor skills, coherence of movements, reaction and imagination. The actions are simple and available to babies 6-8 months old - you just need to clap:
Where have you been? By Grandma!
What did you eat? Porridge, porridge - baby!
Grandma baked pancakes on the path!
We ate our fill and flew home!
Then you need to start waving the handles, as in flight:
Flew, flew, sat on the head!
Mom and baby raise their hands and put them on their heads.
- "Big and Small". Give your child a large box (from the microwave, from dad's shoes), put smaller toys or objects in it and close the lid. The task of the baby is to open, take out and fold back. The game can be made more difficult as the child grows up - hide one of the objects so that the child can understand what is missing in his box.
The game develops fine motor skills, logic, thinking, cognitive abilities, attention and memory. The main thing is that the small objects you put are not so small that they can be swallowed. A teaspoon, a tangerine, a ring box, a tea strainer, etc. will do.
- "Who lives in the house?" For this game you will need pictures of a wide variety of animals. They can be downloaded on the Internet and printed, or you can draw yourself (if you know how to do it!). Fold the pictures into a large, thick envelope or box. During the game, get them out of there one at a time, loudly and clearly call the child the name of the beast (tiger, cat, elephant, bird, dog), and show what sounds this animal makes (cat-meow, tiger -rrrrr , elephant-top-top, dog - woof-woof, etc.).
Gradually, the baby will be able to recognize animals and reproduce not only their sounds, but also the names of the animals themselves. Such imitation is very useful for the development of speech skills, both internal speech and vocal, for attention, stimulates cognition of the surrounding world.
- "Let's draw anything!" For such free creativity, you will need a Whatman paper, or preferably two large Whatman paper glued together, and finger paints. Paints must be food-grade so that the baby can paint and taste them without hearing the prohibitions from the mother. Spread the sheets of paper on the floor, release the little artist on them and give a jar of paint.
Such drawing stimulates thinking, develops creativity, coordination of movements. Small children can engage in finger drawing for a long time and with enthusiasm.
- "Forms". For the development of logic and cognitive processes, you can buy special developmental constructors for the baby, in which you need to place the corresponding figures in the base with slots of different geometric shapes. You can cut the figures with your own hands, from colored cardboard, and make the base for them from white cardboard. The kid will be able to understand that a round one does not fit into a square one, and a triangular one cannot be shoved into an oval one. Show the baby the shapes several times, name them, and then praise each time the baby chooses the shape correctly.
Tips for moms
In the desire to develop their child, mothers should know when to stop. You should not offer your child games that are still difficult for him to understand. He will quickly lose interest in them. All classes should be adapted for a particular age, and it will correctly take into account the developmental characteristics of your child. If the baby is not yet sitting at 6-7 months, you should not play games that involve sitting.
If the child is a little behind the average statistical norms, there is no need to expect the impossible from him.
The duration of classes should be increased in stages so that the little one does not get tired.
It is advisable to always spend classes at the same time, pretty soon the kid will know that there is a game ahead, and will look forward to it.
For developmental activities, it is better to choose a time when the child is not tired, does not want to sleep, eat, or walk. The best time is an hour before lunch (usually from 11 to 12 noon). In the evening, do not play before bed, so as not to overexcite the baby. Familiar rhymes can simply be read to him during an evening massage and bathing.
Be patient and consistent. Praise your child more often, even if he is not doing well yet. After all, developmental activities are also a great way to establish close contact between the child and the parents.
You will learn an example of educational games in the following video.
