Rain on the Green Grass

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

Activities for Toddlers

My name is…..
This is a game that I play in my classes for parents and babies. It is very popular.

You will need a brightly colored rhythm stick. A lummi stick is perfect because of the small size.

You will also need some smiley face stickers

Decorate the stick with the smiley face stickers.

The ideal situation for this game is to have one adult with each child. That way, if the child is not speaking yet, the adult can speak for them and move their arms up and down.

Seat the children in a circle and pass the stick around one child at a time. The child who is holding the stick taps it on the floor and says "My name is -----, and I like -----." Then she passes it on to the next child.
The children really enjoy this game and also discover that they have similar likes. This game is also excellent for eye-hand coordination and language development.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Say to the child, “I like the way you hit the stick and told what you liked.”

For developing the idea: Ask the child, “Can you tell me other things that you like?”

For moving forward: Say to the child, “Let's draw some pictures of things that you like.”

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Rain on the Green Grass
Say the following poem together:
Rain on the green grass
Rain on the trees
Rain on the rooftops
But not on me

Let the children name three things that it can rain on. For example, sidewalk, kitty cat, and windows. Always end with the same last line "But not on me."

Rain on the sidewalk
Rain on the kitty cat
Rain on the windows
But not on me!

Continue to name things that can be rained on and then put them in the rhyme.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: “Let’s say the rain poem again.”

For developing the idea:  “Let’s look out the window see the different places the rain could fall.”

For moving forward:  "How does rain feel? How does rain smell? How does rain taste?"

Jack In the Box and Babies Love Faces Activities

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

Activities for Infants

Jack in the Box
Repeating a small motor skill, such as squeezing a squeaky toy, develops neural circuits that move from the brain’s thinking areas into the motor cortex and out to the nerves that move the muscles. Encourage babies to practice small motor skills to stimulate brain growth. This is a wonderful game to help fine motor development.

Show your baby how to make a fist.

Then take the thumb of his other hand and put it into his closed fist.

Practice opening and closing his hand to make a fist.

Now practice pulling his thumb in and out of his fist.

Say the following rhyme.

Jack in the box
You sit so still – thumb is in the fist
Can you come out?
Yes, I will. – pull thumb out of the fist
Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: "Can you show me your thumb? Can you make a fist?”

For developing the idea: “Can you put your thumb in my fist? (hold out your fist)
Can you put your thumb in your fist?”

For moving forward: Take a favorite stuffed toy and show your little one how to take the toy’s hand or paw and put it into his fist.

Say the poem again and play the game.

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Babies Love Faces
Babies are very content when they look at faces.

When your baby sees your face, she will be happy and delighted.

Say the following poem with your face about eight to twelve inches from your baby’s face:

Hello, hello, I love you very much.
Hello, hello, my fingers they can touch.
Hello, hello, I’ll touch your little nose. (touch baby’s nose) Hello, hello, I’ll kiss your little nose. (kiss baby’s nose) 

Repeat this poem and change the last two lines to different parts of your baby’s face - ears, eyes, cheeks, lips.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Say the poem again and give your baby a kiss at the end of each line of the poem.

For developing the idea:  Change your voice as you say the poem. Babies love to hear “parentese” voices. (high pitched)

For moving forward: Say the poem while holding a toy doll. Take the baby’s hand and put it on the doll’s nose, cheek, and parts of the body in the poem.

Babbles and Music & Rock-a-Bye Baby

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

Music Activities

Babbles and Music
When babies start to babble, they begin with open vowels (Ohs and Ahs).

Next are new sounds and combinations, with Ps, Ms, Bs, and Ds.

Sing a song using the same vowel sound for the words. A good song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Instead of “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” it could be “ma ma ma ma ma ma ma.”

When your baby hears you sing with the same sound, he will try to mimic you. Current research is saying that babbling is a very important sign of good language development.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Sing a familiar song with the same vowel sound. When your baby starts to copy you, praise her and give her a hug.

For developing the idea: While your baby is singing along with you, clap her hands together and sing with great enthusiasm.

For moving forward: Sing the same song and change the vowel sound every two lines. Starting with “ma ma” and “ dada” is familiar to your baby and is a good way to start.

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Rock-a-Bye Baby
Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all

Providing warm, responsive care to young children strengthens their biological systems and help them handle their emotions. A strong, secure connection with your child will help him withstand the ordinary stresses of daily life.

Hold your child in your arms and rock him back and forth as you sing lullabies and other soothing songs, such as the following:
            Goodnight, Irene
            Hush Little Baby
            Kumbaya
            Rock-a-Bye Baby
            Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
            By’m Bye
            Sleep Baby Sleep

Use a rocking motion to calm your child and develop trust between the two of you.

After the last line of the song, hold your toddler close and give him a big hug.

Brain research says that exposure to music affects spatial-temporal reasoning. Such reasoning underlies math, engineering, and other disciplines.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Sing the song and rock your child in different places and at different times of the day.
For developing the idea: Sing the song while your child holds a doll or stuffed animal and rocks it in his arms.

For moving forward: Act out the song and fall down at the appropriate place.

Products from Discount School Supply® that I recommend:
Size and Shape Puzzles - Set of 6 (SSPS6)
Sound Puzzle Box (AP21J)
Indestructible™ Infant Books - Set of 6 (INDY)