Brand New Dad » Month By Month » 11 Months Old » Building Skills Through Play

Help your baby build learning skills. The following activities use materials that you're likely to have around the house.

Physical skills
Over and under: Your baby is discovering that his size is changing. Some spaces are now too small to scoot under. Now he can reach new things. Help him explore his size. Make a tunnel from cardboard boxes taped together. Encourage him to crawl through the tunnel. Place a toy on the sofa just out of his reach. Encourage him to stretch to reach it.

Language skills
Animal sounds: Cut pictures of animals from old magazines. Share the pictures with your baby. Tell him the name of the animal. Point out the animal's features. Say things like, "This is a blue bird. It flies. See its feathers." Make the sound each animal makes. Encourage your baby to repeat the sound.

Emotional skills
Check the hat: Gather several hats, plastic bowls and lightweight pots. Show your baby how to put each on his head. Show him his reflection in a mirror. Laugh and talk with your baby throughout this "fashion show."

Social skills
Cooking together: Give your baby a pot and a wooden spoon. As you empty a container, give it to your baby. He will imitate you-pouring and stirring. Expect some banging, too!

Intellectual skills
Balls in a muffin tin: Give your baby a muffin tin and several balls the size of a tennis ball. Show your baby how to put the balls in the holes. Encourage him to move the balls from space to space. Do the same activity using a clean egg carton and plastic eggs.

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