10 Tips for Revitalising your Playtime!

baby play development new parents play ideas play space play tips top questions Nov 25, 2020

...in time for Christmas!

Christmas is only 1 MONTH AWAY and at Walky Talky Baby WE ARE EXCITED! Yes we are lovers of dress-ups, decorations and family adventures!

Here in WA we are feeling very lucky but for many of our community around the world this will be a Christmas like none other. 

At a time when shopping is difficult, online deliveries are delayed and money is tight we want to share with you our 10 tips for revitalising playtime in your house without a tonne of new toys! 

Play is anything your baby or your family participates in that is fun and does not have a specific objective or purpose. Shelve your mum guilt here Mamas, you don’t need to DO MORE, these tips are all about finding ways to have fun and connect with your baby through play!  This is the easiest way to support your baby's movement and language development (*but not actually do more*) and you don’t need much STUFF at all to do it!

So read on for our top 10 tips for revitalising playtime in your home! We want to help you feel calm, confident and inspired to PLAY! 

AND if you want to hear more about these 10 tips from us, make sure you sign up to our live webinar on Sunday 13th December.  We (Alison and Chiara) will go through all 10 tips with live demonstrations and a chance to answer all your questions! Click here to sign up.

No. 1: Get down! 

Support your baby’s development by taking a moment to get down to their eye level. There’s so many things for your baby and toddler to see in the world, they take delight in the smallest things.

The Talky Tips:

During play, take a moment to get down to your baby’s eye level and talk about what you can see. Here’s why it can help:

🗣 Your baby will find it easier to pay attention to the words you are modelling when they can see your face and easily make eye contact with you

🗣 When you are down at their eye level, this will help your baby get your attention and show you what they are interested in. As they show you something or point to it, then look at you (this is called ‘joint attention’), you can then comment on the object to model the word for them (‘ball!’).

🗣 You can also use eye level to make sure you've got your baby's attention to the word you're saying. Take a toy they're interested in, and bring it up to your eye level. This will encourage your baby to look at your face. Once you have their attention, say the word a couple of times before then giving it back to them! 

The Walky Tips:

There is no better way to support your baby’s attempts to try a new motor skill than to be close to them as they try. 

👣Learning to crawl?

Lie down on your back and your baby will delight in playing on their knees leaning on their hands or elbows on you. This position is a great preparation for crawling as your baby is working on their core, leg and arm strength and learning to shift their weight side to side. This is a great trick for those babies who HATE tummy time flat on the floor. 

👣Learning to stand? 

Sit down on the floor and let your little monkey attempt to climb you! Let your baby do as much of the pulling up as possible. Keep your position strong so your baby can practise pulling their knees in under them and pushing up into standing. Swipe for a photo in action. 

👣Learning to walk?

Sit on the floor close to your baby as they play in standing holding onto the couch or coffee table. Encourage your baby to reach around to play with you. When they are ready they will take some little wobbly steps towards you too!

      

No. 2: Set it up

How do you set up a play space for your baby that supports their development too?

It doesn’t have to be the perfect, colourful, wooden toy filled play space that you see on Instagram. It doesn’t have to look ‘stylish’ but there are some tips to keep in mind when setting up your child’s play space that can really support their development to help them thrive!

1. Make space for independent play

Try to make everything within the play space safe for your baby or toddler to play with independently. Saying no and removing things from your baby disrupts their play (and is frustrating for you). The whole house does not have to be safe for independent exploration but having a small area that is ‘safe’ can help your baby develop some independent play skills without you hovering.

2. Allow for some toys to be set up out of their reach

When we talk about keeping a toy out of reach, for a younger baby, this means keeping it low, but slightly out of their arms reach. For a mobile baby the toys might be in sight but out of physical reach. This works for two reasons:

  • It provides an opportunity for your child to request the toy 
  • It provides a reason to motivate your baby to MOVE to reach that toy.

 

3. Less is more

You don’t need to fill your play space with heaps of toys. For a young baby in particular, this can be very overwhelming. Rotate the toys your baby is playing with, keep some tucked away and only a small number out at a time. 

No. 3: ....WAIT for it!

Waiting…..it’s something most of us don’t like to do, but when it comes to your baby, being able to WAIT and WATCH what they do can make the biggest difference!

As parents, we love to  fill silences and rush in to help our baby, show them what to do, pick them up or help them move. There is so much value though in holding back a bit to wait and watch what your baby is doing. This gives your baby a chance to listen to the language you are modelling (and to see if they can copy those sounds and words too!) and to explore and move around their surroundings independently, and figure out what they can and can’t do!

🗣 Talky Tip: When you model a word for your baby, WAIT to see what they will do. Early talkers need extra time to process the words they are hearing and to see if they can try to make that sound too. Reward any attempt to copy with lots of big smiles and copy the word again to let them know you heard them try to say it. If they don’t copy, model the word a couple more times before you either give them the item or continue with play. 

👣Walky Tip: it can be really tricky to watch your baby struggle getting “stuck” halfway through a movement. Maybe they are learning to roll but keep going half way over then flipping back.. Of course it feels frustrating for your baby to be stuck and unable to move their body and they will call out to you and complain about this! 

Next time instead of swooping in and giving them the toy, picking them up, or moving them into the position they are trying to reach…. WAIT!

👣 If your baby is playing on the mat, get down close to them, give them some reassurance and encouragement using your voice. Urge them to keep trying! 

👣Getting really frustrated? Watch and see why they are getting stuck, do they need just a tiny bit of help to shift their weight, or a little bit of help to sweep the leg through? Give just that tiny bit of help, let them still do most of the movement themselves. Practising these tricky movements over and over is the way your baby will master each new skill!

No. 4: Prioritise Play!

Do you get to the end of a busy day and think to yourself…..did we actually ‘play’ today?? When you’re out and about and busy getting things done around the house, it can be easy to ‘miss out’ on play. 

OR chances are you actually did play with your baby, you just didn’t think of it that way! It is easier than you think to find time to connect with your baby and play, it just takes some reframing of what you think of as play. 

Here’s how:

❤️ Your ‘to-dos’ can be playtime too. Have your baby join in with the jobs you are doing. For example, babies love putting clothes in and out of baskets so get your baby involved as you do the washing. Filling the sink for the dishes? Give your baby some bubbles to play with as they sit or stand in the kitchen. Remember playtime is about connection - it doesn’t have to be with traditional toys. As long as you have the time to add some interaction to your chores, your baby will love to join in! 

❤️ Playtime can be short but sweet. It doesn’t have to be a mammoth play session. Set aside 5 minutes between chores to sit down and have some 1:1 time with your baby that you will both love!

❤️ Plan your play. Another technique for fitting playtime into your day  is building a very flexible play routine in your day using VISUAL TIMETABLES.

 Visual Timetables are a pictorial representation of the routine in our day. You can use them to plan what you are going to do in your day, to make sure you’re including all the important things like lots of play time, tummy time, face to face chat….and time for YOU! They are very quick and easy to use. You keep the stack of printed cards handy and quickly spread them out in a quick visual plan. Often when you take the time to plan your day or use them to reflect back on the day you realise you are actually including loads more playtime in than you realised! 

We have a free downloadable guide on our website all about how to use visual timetables with your baby to help structure your day - it includes visual timetable cards that you can use to get started straight away.

*This is also a FANTASTIC tool for supporting toddlers- they love to know what’s coming next, help to plan the day and reflect back on what they have done each day* … SO many language development opportunities here! 

        

No. 5: Laundry play...get a load of this!

Do you feel like you spend your life washing clothes 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️WE do!!!

Luckily washing is a really good chore to include some motor development opportunities into! 

👣Kneeling is a really important play position that is often forgotten. Balancing without your tummy resting on the floor is really tricky and requires your baby (and you, give it a try and you'll feel it!) to use their abdominal and back muscles together to hold this position as they lift an arm or shift their weight. 

  • Kneeling is excellent preparation for crawling as it strengthens the arms and shoulders. ***This is especially important if your baby didn't love tummy time and hasn't spent much time pushing up on their arms while lying on their tummy***
  • Kneeling is also excellent preparation for standing as it strengthens the muscles around the hips and in the inner thigh. This position teaches your baby how to activate these muscles to stay balanced when upright. 

.   

👣Moving between standing and squatting is a great way to strengthen your baby’s legs and improve their balance in preparation for independent standing and walking. This skill usually comes before your baby walks alone. 

Clothes in and out of the washing basket, in and out of the machine, or on and off the line provides lots of opportunities for squats… do them too and your thighs will be burning in no time 😂😂😂. Most babies love putting things in and out, its a great way to learn about object permanence and there are LOTS of language development opportunities too! Interested in more about this? Try our Baby Hand Skills blog.

   

 No. 6: Actions speak louder than words!

Your baby learns everything by watching and listening to the world around them. 

Did you know that when your baby copies the actions you do, this is an important ‘pre-language’ skill. That is, it’s an important step on their journey towards first words! Young babies start to communicate by imitating actions, then sounds and finally words! 

You might start to notice your baby copying actions from 7-8 months of age. To begin with, your child will only do these actions when they see you doing it first (i.e. they’re copying you!). It can take a few more months for them to do things like ‘clap’ and ‘wave’’ independently.

So how do you get your baby to copy your actions? Try these tips:

❤️ Use lots of actions in play for your baby to notice and to start copying when they are ready (e.g. bang the table with your hands, shake a rattle, splash the water)

❤️ Model the actions a few times then pause and look at your baby to see if they will join in. If they are enjoying it, they will look at you to indicate they want more!

❤️ Exaggerate your actions so they are really obvious for your baby to notice (e.g. big arm movements when patting the table, big shakes of a rattle, holding it up high near your face for your baby to notice).

❤️ Baby sign is a type of action that your baby might copy, AND it will support their communication skills too. Our members receive a video tutorial once a week to learn a new baby sign to incorporate into their day. To learn more about what baby sign is, check out this blog.

No. 7: Ask for more!

Did you know that ‘more’ is a really powerful ‘first word’ for your baby to learn? Read on to find out why and how to help your baby ask for ‘more’.

More” is so powerful because it's a functional word that can be used in lots of different contexts. Your baby will love learning this word as it will help them get more of what they want!

Here's the skill breakdown:

🗣 In their first few months of life, your little one can ask for 'more' by looking at you and vocalising.

🗣 As they develop, your little one will be able to ask for 'more' of what they like by vocalising, reaching for the item and moving towards it.

🗣 Around 9-12 months your baby will start to copy you saying the word 'more' or the Baby Sign for 'more'.

🗣 Around 12 months your baby might start saying this word independently (and then you'll get sick of hearing it!).  

How to help your baby ask for more:

🗣 When your baby indicates they want 'more' of something (e.g. by reaching for the item, looking at it, vocalising), before giving it to them, hold it up and say 'More? want more?'

🗣 PAUSE and wait to see what your baby does

🗣 As soon as they show you they want more (by looking at you, reaching, vocalising, smiling etc), give them the item, saying 'more' again and labelling the item ('Oh you want more! More milk!')

No. 8: Twist and Shout!

Encouraging your baby to twist and rotate in each play position is a really good stepping stone to the next movement milestone. In most cases babies first learn to balance in a position and play, then they learn how to hold their balance while they rotate and play. This helps them learn how to move in and out of each play position by themselves. 

👣 Sitting: Once your baby is sitting independently place toys to their left and right to encourage them to reach and turn. From here they will learn to put their hands down and move onto their hands and knees.

👣Kneeling: Encourage your baby to reach around to grasp a magnet and come back to the fridge to stick it on. This repeated twist and return is like you doing oblique crunches at the gym! Your baby is strengthening their core and working on their balance as they shift their weight and reach. 

        

👣Standing: Set up 2 parallel play surfaces and encourage your baby to move between them. By rotating in standing and stepping their feet around they are working on the building blocks for independent walking- weight shift, stepping, and standing balance. 

           

No. 9: Stand up Baby!

Have you got a baby who has been on the cusp of walking for what seems like FOREVER? They love walking and will drag you round the house holding just one finger for ages but will not step alone? 

How to support your baby to actually take off alone? MORE standing play! Most babies spend the vast majority of their playtime in standing before they eventually let go and start walking alone. Try these little tips to build more standing play in your baby’s day. 

👣 Helping your baby walk with hands held is really hard to do properly without hurting your own back.  Instead try encouraging your baby to walk pushing a cardboard box, a trolley or anything else that doesn’t slide too quickly and doesn't tip. (NOTE: NOT inside a baby stander or walker this is not the same... blog on this coming soon)

👣 Add in some standing play holding onto an unstable surface so your baby gets the idea that they might feel unbalanced but they are ok. Try encouraging your baby to hold onto your skirt or pants or stand holding onto ribbons or scarves. 

👣 Change your play environment to give your baby lots of incentive to stand! Lots of tables, and furniture to cruise along and take small steps between, less open spaces for cruising and try and get all the favourite toys up off the floor. Temporarily put away anything they tend to sit to play with and keep out the toys that work for standing. 

If your baby is not standing to play by 12 months and not walking by 16 months I would suggest a 1:1 physiotherapy assessment with your local paediatric physiotherapist. Or sooner if you are concerned. 

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No. 10: Stop with all the questions!

This final tip can make a HUGE difference when it comes to helping your baby say their first words.

As parents, we love to ask our little ones questions ('What is it?' 'Who’s there?' 'Where did it go?'). 

Questions, however, are more difficult to understand than a comment. When your baby is on their journey to their first words, they are unlikely to answer the question, and instead they have heard a lot of different words, and a question word too, which is difficult to understand (as it doesn't relate to a 'thing' they can see).  

SO what can you do instead?

Turn those questions into a comment!

A comment gives your baby the words that capture what they are doing. It labels what they are looking at, and they are much more likely to learn a word when they hear it in a comment and more likely to copy it (if they are ready to). 

So instead of:

🗣 ‘what’s this?’ -> ‘bear! It’s a bear!’

🗣’ Who’s there?’ -> ‘Daddy! It’s daddy!’

🗣 ‘Where did it go?’ -> ‘under there! It’s under there!’

Try it out next time you’re talking to your baby and when you hear yourself asking a question, try turning it into a comment and notice if your baby responds better to this and even tries to copy the word!

Want more?

These 10 tips all come from the Walky Talky Baby Membership. If you've loved these tips and want more, this is a perfect time to join us, as we have a special discount for you! Read on to find out more...

To celebrate the launch of our new section of content which covers all the skills to walking and talking, we are offering a discount code to receive a sweet saving on our 6 and 9 month membership packages. Think of it as an early Christmas present for both you and your baby!

Enter the code LAUNCHPARTY at the checkout to get the 20% off the 6 month or 9 month membership package. Offer ends midnight 13th December.

 

AND don't forget what else we have to offer you....

❤️ FREE Born to Play e-book and 'Play the Week Away' mini course 

❤️ Buy our Tummy Time e-book No Tears Tummy Time

❤️  Join our FREE facebook group Walky Talky Baby Group 

❤️ Join our mailing list to receive more blogs like this!

❤️ Follow our instagram page walkytalky_baby 

Brought to you by Walky Tallky 

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Alison Mason

Physiotherapist

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Chiara Prigmore

Speech Therapist

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❤️ Want to get your house organised and ready to play? Download and print out FREE checklist now!

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❤️ Want gift ideas? Present that will be loved, last, and support development? You need our FREE gift guide packed with toy ideas and advice on how to use them in play!

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