Babies generally can’t clap until they are about 8 or 9 months old, but they sure do love clapping games long before that. Today, we simply played patty-cake, a perennial favorite of parents for good reason. It had Veronika giggling and wide-eyed as I guided her hands through each motion.

As a reminder, here are the words:

Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker’s man

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Roll it, pat it, mark it with a [child’s initial]

Put it in the oven for [child’s name] and me!

The first time, I simply said the words and did the actions for her: Clap during the first two lines, roll your hands for “roll it,” pat baby’s tummy on “pat it,” and trace their initial on “mark it.”

The second time, her hands joined mine – clapping, rolling,  and patting. She looked so excited to be part of the action!

I also broke my no-screen rule and let her watch a cute cartoon of the song, to increase her familiarity with the tune.

In sum, this is a fun one to do throughout the day, or at diaper changesdiaper changes!