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- Physical play (tummy time, crawling, jumping, kicking a ball, climbing) Your child will most likely be highly energetic for at least a part of every day and you will need to provide her with plenty of outlets for that energy. While physical play allows her to burn off her excess energy, it will also provide her with great opportunities to develop her gross motor skills.
- Quiet play (listening to your voice as you sing and talk, listening and reading stories together, doing puzzles, drawing) Quiet play will encourage your child to focus her energy on more passive activities – which is a great thing to be able to do when you want her to wind down before bed – and allow her time to restore her energy levels before she races off again to a new more energetic activity.
- Interactive play (massaging your baby, using building blocks together, group craft, singing and dancing together) Interactive play is the best way for you to get down on the rug and really get involved in a game. Whether you’re dancing together or building roads for your collection of cars, the key to interactive play lies in setting aside the time you need to really enjoy this type of play. Interactive play will teach your child to share (this will be a lesson she’ll take a long time to understand!), take turns, work collaboratively, and to express herself creatively.
- Independent play (having quiet play on the floor under a play gym, playing with a favourite toy, looking at and reading books, building a cubby) To be able to play independently is wonderful skill that, once learnt, is a skill for life. If your child is happy with her own company and to occasionally play on her own, don’t be tempted to interrupt her with other activities – the peace won’t last!
This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot – Australia’s parenting resource for newborns and baby. Sources include SA Government’s Parenting and Child Health and Karitane.