Suitable playing activities to do with children this age include: Time spent playing helps your child’s development. They’re able to play a little by themselves but prefer playing with parents or adults.

They enjoy repetition and are very curious about the world around them. Most take their first steps and move around more. allowing them to touch scraps of fabric, balls, rattles, soft books, empty boxesĬhildren begin to explore and discover their surroundings when they’re between one and two years old.showing them brightly coloured objects with different sounds and textures.

lying on the floor, kicking, tummy time, playing Peek-a-boo.

talking, singing, clapping, bouncing, crawling.

You can play with your baby and get their attention by: You can make your own or use ordinary objects, such as: You don’t always need to buy toys to stimulate young babies. Playing with your child helps forms a bond between you. To grow and develop, a baby needs stimulation and attention from someone who is happy to communicate and play with them. Their development is also influenced by:īabies can be demanding and need routine. But they don’t always reach these steps in the same way or at the same time. Baby’s developmentĪ baby develops through a sequence of steps and milestones. They need different types of play because they’re at various development stages and have different abilities.Ī play experience might be easy for one child but challenging and difficult for another. Babies, toddlers, children and teenagers have a natural instinct to play and be playful.

The urge to play begins when a child is born and lasts until adulthood. They should encourage children to play outdoors often and where possible, join in the activity.

They should allow their child to choose how, what and when they play. Parents and carers shouldn’t direct the play. So making time for play every day is important. Playing helps children form essential skills.

Direct play