Jack and Jill Go Up the Hill

March 6, 2019Leave a comment

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On the heels of The Grand Old Duke, here’s another fun rhyme with movement play for your baby. Oh the giggles this one got, when Jack and Jill reached the top of the hill!

I sat down with Veronika on my lap, my legs straight.

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As a refresher, here are the words:

Jack and Jill went up the hill.

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack feel down,

And broke his crown.

And Jill came tumbling after!

On the first line, I brought my knees up, up, up and up. You can just prop up your baby, but Veronika particularly loved being lifted to the top of my knees. What a gummy grin!

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On “Jack fell down”, lower your legs quickly (but be sure to support your little one!) Finally, on the last line, give a little tip to one side – whee.

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Here’s a quick clip!

Where’s Bear?

March 6, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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This game is a fantastic way to teach your four-month-old about object permanence, i.e. the idea that something still exists even if he or she can’t see it. We hid bear in layers upon layers, and then had to find him!

First, I showed her a stuffed teddy, saying the word “bear” clearly for her.

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I slipped bear into a brown paper lunch bag, letting her watch, then crumbled it shut. “Where’s bear?” I asked.

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The bag next went into a toy box (any box will work, including a cardboard box from your latest package delivery). The lid went on, and again I asked, “Where’s bear?”

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Finally, I draped a scarf over the box. “Where’s bear?” I asked again.

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I accompanied the words with the sign for “where” in baby sign language – a simple waggle back and forth of the hand with the pointer finger up.

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Now it was time to undo the layers. First off came the scarf…

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Then the box lid…

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She helped pull out the brown bag – what strong hands, Veronika!

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And finally, we opened the bag for the big reveal!

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You can add even more layers if you like, bags within boxes within bags, although don’t go too crazy or you might lose baby’s interest.

We played again with her favorite toy; oh no, she looked almost alarmed when he first disappeared!

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And so relieved to find him.

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Footprint Plaque

March 5, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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I’ve already made a beautiful keepsake of Veronika’s footprints with paint, and today we tried a version made with clay! I had leftover air-dry clay from a project with Travis, so it was the perfect opportunity for Veronika to play with this material.

Roll out a large piece of clay with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Be sure to let your little one watch, even though they are too young to help with the process!

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Use a bowl and knife to cut out a circle large enough for both your baby’s footprints.

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Here’s the hard part: hold your baby carefully and press one foot into the clay at a time. This might be a bit uncomfortable for them, and indeed poor Veronika let out a little cry! So you’ll notice that her prints are not very deep or pronounced, but at least I was able to capture the size and shape.

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Punch two holes in the top using a straw, then lay the plaque flat to dry.

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Once dry, thread a pretty ribbon through the holes, and you’ll have a beautiful plaque to display.

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Don’t forget the name and date!

Introduce Family Traditions

March 4, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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It’s never too early to start a family tradition, whether your baby is your first child or a new sibling. Certainly, Veronika’s birth has us thinking about new traditions we can incorporate into our home. Here’s a quick rundown of a few we’ve begun and hope to continue!

Afternoon Walks:

Obviously you won’t be able to do this every afternoon, but I highly recommend finding a pretty spot or route that your family loves, and make it a tradition to head out walking at least once a month (yes, even in the winter)! To wit, we have three walks that now belong to our family: one in a local state park along paved trails; one around the pond at our local park; and one secret trail through the woods. This last we call the “Kerber Walk”, because there is a restaurant of the same name nearby, but it isn’t the actual name of the trail. We love that the moniker is a family secret.

Wherever you go, visit in multiple seasons and your family tradition will be firmly in place.

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Festive Customs:

I held off on buying much for the holidays when Travis was my only child, knowing I always wanted a second. Since Veronika’s birth, I can coordinate each holiday as it comes around! Most recently, this has meant brother-and-sister Easter baskets with monogrammed bunny ear liners. I’ll be coordinating the gifts they receive, too: a spring-themed book for each child, as well as a treat (candy for Travis, pureed carrots for little Veronika!).

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Whatever traditions feel unique to your family, introduce them to your baby early; he or she will never remember a time without the custom.

Connecting with Cousins:

If your lucky enough to have cousins in the area, make it a point of playing together. It has been so fun to watch Travis bloom into buddies with the two boy cousins who live close by. Meanwhile the baby girls are only two months apart in age! Our goal is to pencil in a date monthly. These kids can grow up together and forge their own traditions.

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And big teenage cousins have the perfect laps for sitting.

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Saturday Play in the Park:

Weekends get busy with kids – sport practice, birthday parties, art classes. But usually are mornings are free, so we try and make it a custom to head to a playground for quality family time. Family obligations might mean you can’t do so every Saturday, but it’s a great goal to aim for. Little Veronika can’t play yet, but she can watch big brother play!

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I like to think she’s soaking up the adventure that awaits, and big siblings will love that they can run and play and not worry about indoor admonitions to avoid waking the baby.

Sunday Snuggles:

Travis has always been a big one for snuggles (boy do I feel lucky!) and now Veronika is in on the snuggly action. We decided that now when we cuddle up for special Sunday snuggles on the couch, we’ll snap a Sunday Snuggle Selfie. Moving forward, we’ll have a week-by-week record of these cuddly moments!

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Family Games:

Even though Veronika is too young to play still, it’s great to pull out games and make it a family board game night (or day, if that works better!) and make interactive time a priority. Right now, Travis gets the thrill of playing, while she gets to sit on a grown-up’s lap or lie close by and take in the action.

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What other traditions are you building for your baby? Please share in the comments!

Many Mobiles

March 4, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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Veronika needed some new mobiles to look at, so I had fun making her a few, very easy and (and very inexpert!) versions this morning. The best thing about these mobiles is that I could craft them at her side while she kicked and played on her playmat.

I like using mobiles during diaper time instead of in the crib; Veronika isn’t lying on her back in her crib other than at night, but she sure loves checking out what’s hanging above the diaper table during changes!

For the following four mobiles, I simply suspended the objects from a baby hanger using colorful string. No points for elegance here – but lots of points for delight!

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Here are the four variations I made:

The first was easy as pie; simply tie small stuffed animals onto string and loop onto the hanger.

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This one had the added bonus of sound, since a few of our animals squeaked or mooed.

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The second was equally easy; I threaded large gold jingle bells onto string, and looped onto the hanger. She absolutely loved running her hands across this one, so I placed it over her playmat later, too.

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Just be sure to supervise any play baby does with dangling strings.

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For the third, I cut cardboard into various small shapes – circles, triangles etc.

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Cover the shapes with aluminum foil. Punch a hole into the cardboard, add string, and loop onto the hanger.

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These were so sparkly when sunlight hit them!

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The final mobile was the least elegant of all, but also got big smiles. I stapled string to a few empty food boxes with bright colors, and then looped the string onto the hanger.

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These were fun for her to bat at and hear them knock against each other.

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In sum, there’s lots of visual delights here! We’re going to keep all these versions on rotation and change up what’s hanging from her mobile hook so she never gets bored.

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Grab and Scrunch

March 4, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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Babies at four months old are all about texture, and this game couldn’t be cuter or easier! All you need are some common household items to introduce new sounds and textures in today’s play session.

I pulled out a brown paper lunch bag and a box of wax paper. For each one, I first showed it to Veronika completely smooth and uncrumpled. Let your baby feel the material at this stage, too.

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Next, I crumpled each up. Hold the paper or wax paper close to baby’s ear for this; the sound is nearly as neat as the texture!

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Finally, I handed her the wadded up ball. She loved passing the papers from hand to hand.

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And of course giving it a test with her mouth, which is okay, but supervise since you don’t want a baby mouthing on wax paper for long.

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Alternatively, don’t scrunch up the materials; instead, let your baby take them while smooth, and scrunch them up solo.

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What other items does your baby love to hold at this stage? Please share in the comments!

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Playback

March 3, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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I’ve encouraged anyone following along on my baby game journey to record their baby and capture special moments. Today’s homework is not just to capture the audio of your little one, but to let them hear the playback, too!

Veronika is all gurgles and coos these days, and of course any parent would want to capture the moment.

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To encourage some talking, we had quality facetime on her playmat. If you need to get your baby talking, try tickling their little toes!

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As we “chatted”, I set a video recorder going. This will be a sweet memento for me, of course, but now for the real fun part: I let her see the playback!

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She was utterly fascinated by the baby in the video, even though she doesn’t quite yet know she’s watching herself. Babies love watching other babies, and seeing the playback encouraged her to talk up another cooing storm.

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Here’s a quick clip we caught!

The Grand Old Duke of York

March 2, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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On the heels of Humpty Dumpty, I was looking for more fun movement rhymes to play with Veronika. I remember doing this particular one every time Travis and I attended a class at Gymboree when he was little, and realized I hadn’t yet done so with Veronika. Time to amend that!

Lie on your back, with your child facing you, and holding them securely.

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Now recite the words:

Oh the Grand Old Duke of York,

He had ten thousand men.

He marched them up to the top of the hill

And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up.

And when they were down, they were down.

And when they were only halfway up,

They were neither up nor down.

On every up, your child goes up…

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…and on every down they go down.

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And then of course quick up and downs on that last fun line.

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It’s a shame that I had to enlist family members to take pictures, because her smile at me was absolutely beatific, but the camera never quite caught it. Either way, it felt great to make her giggle with glee, and we’ll be doing this one often!

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Humpty Dumpty

March 1, 2019March 7, 2019Leave a comment

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Veronika and I are moving beyond fingerplays, since she’s old enough now to get her whole body in on the fun for action rhymes. “Humpty Dumpty” is a great one to play with your little one, because the more you do it, the more he or she will anticipate the moment of the “fall.”

First, I simply recited the rhyme to her, to familiarize her with the rhythm and words. As a reminder, here’s how it goes:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

A Mother Goose book made for a great visual!

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Later, I sat her on my lap, with a soft mat behind her. Hold your baby securely under the armpits and recite the words.

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On “fall” we went back with a little tickle, then lifted her back up to a sit for a repeat.

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She soon was very into the motions and game! This activity will strengthen muscles, give your baby a good grasp of language, and teach emotional cues, since your smile and happy eyes will confirm that the game is all in good fun.

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Mirror Magic

February 28, 2019April 29, 2019Leave a comment

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At four months old, Veronika is much more aware of the face in the mirror than she was when we began mirror games, so she and I had some fun with our reflections today. Mirrors seem magical to babies; they still don’t quite understand that they are seeing their own reflection, and yet are starting to notice that the mirror image moves when they do. So play up that magic!

Make sure that you play with a mirror that is nonbreakable for babies this young. I set one up in front of Veronika during tummy time, and got down right next to her.

First, I simply made a neutral face and let her notice us both, but from there I moved on to emotions. As you make each expression, name the emotion. “Happy face!” I cooed to her.

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