5 fun activities to develop social skills with babies at home
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From the moment they are born, babies are interacting with the world around them and developing essential social skills that last a lifetime. One of the best ways to engage with a baby’s social side is through interacting and playing together!
Peek a boo
A classic for a reason! Newborn babies are already picking up on facial expressions and quickly learn to mirror others. Playing games that involve the element of surprise and incorporating changing expressions into this provide endless fascination for babies whose sense of object permanence is yet to develop.
Pass the ball
A great idea for those babies with siblings at home to develop a sense of turn-taking and playing with others. Balls are a useful resource because they are versatile to all physical development stages and can be used in a multitude of ways. Babies will have so much fun whether rolling, throwing or passing a ball to a grown-up or sibling, or both!
Song time
We may feel a little bit silly singing out loud, but even the most tone-deaf of us bring joy to babies when we sing. Musicality produces changes in the brain that release ‘happy chemicals’ and strengthens our ability to process new things. Listening to and making music also helps to create a social environment where babies can learn to recognise expressions and feelings, too.
Stories together
Reading stories together is a powerful way to develop communication and language, especially with babies who are absorbing new words at a record rate. Stories with actions can be used with parents and carers, or other children to develop mirroring actions and observing others in a social setting.
Helping hands
Play is the language of children, how they learn and grow and communicate themselves. Games do not have to be made specifically for children to get fun from them and learn! Activities like helping to tidy the garden by finding all the dandelions and washing their toys in the bath contribute to their sense of belonging in the home and their role within it too.
