Infants are exposed to thousands of words every day, but one of the very first words your infant will learn to distinguish is his or her name. Help the process along with this cute activity!

Today – and most days! – make it a point of saying your child’s name as you do each thing throughout the day, instead of “you.” So: “Veronika is getting a diaper change,” “Veronika is playing on her play mat.” You might even get big smiles for your efforts!

To be even more playful, switch up the lyrics of songs to include your child’s name. This is something I’ve always done with lullabies, for both my chlidren, but today we had fun using a musical chime toy to sing “Oh Veronika” instead of “Oh Suzanna,” as well as “Rock-a-Bye Veronika,” Veronika Had a Little Lamb” and other favorites.

And it helps to have her name written in various places around the house, too. It’s a long way off, but eventually your little one will sightread their name as a first step toward reading.

How else are we talking with Veronika these days? Happy conversations back and forth! She’s really starting to “chat” up a storm, and I don’t want to ignore these attempts at language. As mentioned in my review of Cricket Crate’s Faces kit, when a baby “oohs,” “ah gehs” and “mmms” at you, she’s trying out words.

We’ve been having a lot of happy back and forths; it turns out Veronika is a very opinionated little lady!