Your bulilit is certainly bursting with energy! Just like most toddlers his age, expect him to test his physical limits and make new discoveries about the world around him from morning till night. While this is a good sign of normal development of his body and brain, as a mom, you worry more about your baby hurting himself or getting a bukol. Let’s zoom into the importance of playing for children and on some ideas for having safe fun together.
The games babies play
Babies love playing from early on. They enjoy learning new games at every age.
- At 3 months, look at how much he laughs when you play "Peek-A-Boo" with him! He could go on for hours until you get exhausted!
- At 6 months, the attention span of babies is only a few minutes. They enjoy clapping games and playing with puppets. Remember to just play with them for a few minutes so as not to tire them out.
- At around 7 or 8 months, watch him enjoy throwing his favorite toy on the floor over and over again. He probably thinks it is funny to see you pick it up every time! His other top favorites are playing horsey-horsey on your lap and knocking down tall towers of blocks that you build ever so carefully.
- At 9 to 10 months, you may see baby busy crawling around. This is his time to explore! He tries to reach everything he sees and would pull himself up on the furniture, his face beaming with pride!
- As soon as baby starts walking, that is when his kalikutan begins - walking backwards, jumping, going up and down the stairs! There’s just no stopping him from discovering new things he can do. Each day brings surprises and progress in his motricity development, or the development of the movement abilities of baby’s big and small muscles. This develops his ability to keep his balance and move quickly, his five senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting)…and his self-confidence too! So, it’s time to build an obstacle course using pillows, toys and cardboard boxes. Watch your chikiting climb over, crawl through and go under all the stuff. This develops his mind to think as it exercises his body.
- At 2 years old, the attention span of your toddler is longer… as long as you do not always play the same game. You can use your imagination to alternate quiet games and more exciting games. Don’t forget to take breaks so he doesn’t get too hyper. At this age, he loves to play with anything he finds. He enjoys hitting things with a spoon, or playing with your colorful bowls from the kitchen. You sometimes wonder what is the point of giving him toys!
- From 2 or 3 years old, your child can start attending the gym, or rather, the baby gym! It’s perfect for releasing his excess energy. No worries, there are intense workouts nor games with strict rules being played here. Baby gyms are specially designed with a range of games and activities that help young ones develop their body awareness. The aim of its sessions is not to turn babies into little weightlifting champions, but to help them become more skillful and precise in their movements. Think about it, mommy – baby gyms not only develop his balance and coordination, but also his self-confidence, respect for others, and team spirit. And all these things are essential for a kid’s future, ‘di ba!
- As he gets older, you may teach him activities suitable to his young age such as simple ball catching games, swimming, tagu-taguan or how to ride his baby trike. Now, isn’t that great - learning new skills while having fun!
