Activities for Newborns - 8 months

Family Educator Lori shares her years of knowledge covering topics of development for newborns to 8 months. In this introduction video, Lori talks about the Parents As Teachers® program, the importance of tummy time for newborns, eyesight development, and why playing is learning.

ACTIVITIES FOR NEWBORN TO 1 ½ MONTHS.  Family Educator Lori presents activities for babies ages newborn – 1 ½ months that you can easily make from materials you have at home.  Lori discusses the importance of using activities that feature high contrast colors.  These activities build trust, fulfilling social/emotional needs. Motor development occurs by strengthening the eye muscles; cognitive development gets a boost by building the vision center of the brain. 

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES 1 ½ – 3 ½ months.  Family Educator, Lori, talks about how a baby learns through their sense of touch and feeling, with their mouth being an important way to explore textures.  Babies develop visual perception bringing objects close to their face.  Learn how you can make your own “touchy/feely” activities and use eye tracking to build eye muscles.

ACTIVITY FOR BABIES 1 1/2 – 3 1/2 MOS.  Family Advocate, Lori, shares how a “touchy-feely” book teaches young babies about the sense of touch, taste, and seeing. Learn how you can use the book to interact with a baby 1 1/2 – to 3 1/2 months or older.

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES 3 ½ months-5 ½ months.  Interact with your baby through items you already have at your home.  In the “seeing reflections” activity, babies learn that they are their own individual.  Babies learn that they are separate from others when interacting with another in a mirror (social/emotional learning).  By looking at what is in the reflection, they process and learn about the world around them (cognitive development).  Lori uses the Parents As Teachers® program curriculum.

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES 5 ½ months – 8 months.  Family Educator Lori explains how “rock, rattle, roll, and crawl” activities teach cause and effect.  Babies learn about cause and effect by interacting with objects through pushing, pulling, shaking and listening to sounds.  Shake, rattle and roll activities encourage motor skills and strengthen muscles.  Lori suggests books that are helpful to read to babies and toddlers.