For babies, stimulation activities arouse their senses. Activities that promote seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and hearing will be stimulating for your baby. Engaging in activities that stimulate your baby can foster your baby’s curiosity, help develop his attention span and foster his nervous system development, according to Health First.org. While engaging your infant in stimulating activities is important, over stimulating your baby may cause him to become overwhelmed and irritable. If you notice signs of irritability during play, take a break, and allow your baby time to rest in a quiet and calm environment.
Sight Activities
From the moment they are born, babies can distinguish between light and dark. In fact, your infant began to tell difference while she was still in your womb. After your baby is born, she can clearly see an image that is placed within 10 to 13 inches of her face. In the first three months, your baby is most easily stimulated by contrasting color patterns and black and white. As she gets older, bold and bright colors will stimulate her. Playing with black and white or bright and bold colored toys with your baby and hanging and winding up mobiles with contrasting colors and patterns from your infant’s crib will all stimulate her. Reading picture books and playing peek-a-boo with your baby are other activities that will stimulate her sense of sight.
Touch Activities
Touching your baby can promote relaxation and provide reassurance and comfort. Infant massage, bathing your baby, rocking your baby and holding your baby are all stimulating activities that target your baby’s sense of touch. Providing your baby the opportunity to touch many things of varying textures, like toys made from different fabrics or materials, will also stimulate your baby’s sense of touch.
Listening Activities
One way babies learn about their environment is through sound. Considering your infant could hear and remember sounds before he was even born, his hearing is significantly developed at birth. Holding your baby next to your heart is an activity you can to do stimulate him and his sense of hearing. This activity will also be comforting to your infant as the sound he hears will be quite familiar. Listening to music together and reading books are other stimulating activities that your baby may enjoy. Playing games with your baby, like making a sound and listening for her to repeat it, and singing to your baby are other activities that will effectively stimulate him.
