Essential Activities and Tools to Encourage Your Little One’s Exploration and Learning
Have you noticed your little one trying to copy your sounds and expressions? Isn’t that adorable? Their giggles and laughter after they copy you make them even more cute.
What to expect?
At around 7 to 8 months you will notice a lot of changes in your little one. Some of the changes are:
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May begin to show some signs of crawling
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Can sit without any support
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Can transfer things from one hand to another
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Being able to recognize faces from a distance
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Will smile, babble and laugh more
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Start mimicking sounds and simple gestures
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May begin exploring things like buttons and lids
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Explore things that have texture or produce sounds
Is it normal?
Concern:
My baby begins crying the moment I am out of their sight.
Verdict:
Yes, it is normal. It is common for babies at this stage to experience separation anxiety. Your baby has begun to understand the concept of object permanence, that is people and objects exist even when they cannot see them. yet, not being able to see you makes them anxious. Moreover, they are beginning to form a strong bond with you, and your absence causes them distress.
Concern:
My baby put everything in their mouth.
Verdict:
Yes, it is normal. Your baby’s mouth has several nerve endings that allow them to explore the shape, texture and sizes of various objects. Putting objects in their mouth is your baby’s way of exploring the world. It also helps in soothing their aching gums as they teethe.
How can you support your baby’s development?
As your baby becomes more active and expressive it becomes your duty as a parent to provide a safe environment for them to explore, develop and grow. To help you provide a nurturing and safe environment for your baby, Tinyvers has worked with a team of pediatricians, educators and many more experts from various fields to design activity kits that cater to your child’s developmental needs. Tinyvers activity kit 4 has been designed specially for 7 to 8 month babies with developmental tools that foster exploration, visual, sensory, physical, emotional and overall development. The kit also comes with a milestone brochure, activity booklet and DIY activity cards that help you navigate your baby’s developmental journey with ease.
Let’s take a tiny peek into the developmental toys included in Tinyvers activity kit 4:
1. Building blocks:
Babies love reaching for objects, grabbing them and stacking them on top of each other. At around 7 months when your baby’s body is preparing to crawl, building blocks are a great tool to support their fine motor skills, gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills. The colours and texture of the blocks promote visual and tactile stimulation.
Your baby loves exploring different textures and shapes. The textured balls are wonderful tools for your baby to explore texture, shape and colours. You can also use these balls to teach counting to your little one.
It might be an empty wooden tray for you, but g for your baby? It’s a whole new playground. Putting different textured and coloured objects such as building blocks and textured balls in and out of the tray can promote your baby’s fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and colour recognition. It also provides them with sensory exposure and promotes curiosity.
4. Picture puzzle:
You might notice your baby’s increasing interest in pressing buttons or opening the lids of the container. The picture puzzle provides a great opportunity for your little one to practice their fine motor skills, bilateral coordination and master the art of opening and closing lids.
5. Egg shaker:
At this age your baby will love grabbing things, shaking them or even putting them in their mouth. The egg shaker is perfectly sized for your baby’s hands to grab and explore. It provides tactile and auditory stimulation which encourages your baby to explore it by shaking or passing it from one hand to another.
6. Ball drop box:
Have you noticed your baby throwing or dropping things? Well, it is your baby’s way of exploring and experimenting with various objects. The ball drop box allows them to explore and experiment with dropping things in a safe environment. It also helps your baby in practicing their grasping skills, hand eye coordination and makes them familiar with the concept of object permanence.
Being able to cater to your baby’s needs is your top priority as a parent. But sometimes not being able to understand what your baby needs can be frustrating especially when they haven’t started speaking yet. The sign language cards can be of great help as they allow you to teach basic signs such as “Hungry” to your baby. As your baby signs their needs to you, it becomes easier for you to cater to them.
Even though your baby can’t talk yet, they do understand. Farm animal cards help you to introduce your baby to different farm animals. It also helps your baby’s memory skills, vocabulary and recognition skills.
Watching your little one grow right in front of your eyes is a wonderful experience, especially when they are about to reach their major milestones like crawling and walking. Providing them with toys such as building blocks, picture puzzle, textured balls, egg shaker, small wooden tray, ball drop box, farm animal cards and sign language cards can enhance their developmental journey. Most importantly, providing them with your immense love and support encourages them to take the next step.