Let's Play! Shh! Listen In & Airplane Takeoff

1.Shhh! Listen In

Your baby is learning to listen — or, as the experts say, developing receptive language — just as fast as he's learning to communicate himself. Treat him to a surprise eavesdrop by turning his baby monitor into a listening device.

Skills developed: verbal, sense of object permanence (the concept that something out of sight still exists)
What you'll need: a two-way baby monitor

Prepare for this aural ambush by sneaking into your baby's room while he's sleeping and switching the settings on the baby monitor to "listen" (or receive) and the one in your room to "talk" (or transmit). Listen for him to wake up — and then, before going into his room, spend a few minutes talking into the monitor. Carrying your monitor with you, describe your progress through the house: "Here I go heading down the hall to my baby's room..." or make remarks about the weather, your plans for the day, or your baby himself. (This game works particularly well if you have a friend or other favorite adult around to join in the conversation.) When you finally appear in person, your entrance with be met with pleased astonishment.

2.Airplane Takeoff

Here's a game that gives you some fun together-time with your baby while teaching her about the sheer joy of movement: You'll be helping her hone those developing motor skills as you "fly" her body through the air.

Skills developed: gross motor
What you'll need: a full-size bathtub

Sit cross-legged in the tub, with your baby in your lap facing away from you. With one hand holding her firmly and the other on the bottom of the tub supporting your back, raise your legs, still crossed, with your baby resting on them, until she's just clear of the water. As your baby goes up, say, "Airplane taking off, up, up and away!" and, as you lower her back down: "Airplane coming in for a landing!" Encourage your baby to raise her arms out to the sides and make airplane wings. As she gets older, you can raise and lower your legs a bit faster, creating a splash as you reenter the water, announcing "Rocket ship launching" and "Rocket ship splashdown!"

To calm her down before getting out of the tub, use a slower, more gradual motion as you elevate your baby out of the water, saying "Elevator going up," then lower her back into the water as you say, "Elevator going down."

Remember: Each baby develops at a different pace, so if yours isn't quite ready for this week's activities, don't worry — just try them again in a few weeks.

source from http://www.babycenter.com