Infant Games For Music Play

Suitable for Ages 0 and up babies

Material Needed

1/4" elastic

Bells of any kind

Instruction

Cut elastic to fit around babys wrists and ankles, making sure not to make it too tight. Sew the ends of the elastic together, making a bracelet shape, then sew the bells onto the elastic. How many bells are sewn on will determine how much noise baby makes. Put the bracelets around baby's wrists and ankles. You can also sew bells onto cotton socks. Put some music on and help baby shake her hands and feet to the music. laugh, sing along, and make faces. You may even want to get a pan, spoon, or lid, and participate in the sound! Hold baby in your arms and dance around to the music shaking the bells as you twirl!

Suitable for ages 6 months and up babies

Create a song describing some things baby does each day. Such as, a wake-up song, a naptime song, a changing or eating song, and a bedtime lullaby. They might go something like this:

(Your baby's name) likes to take a bath, take a bath, take a bath

(Your baby's name) like s to take a bath early every evening.

(Your baby's name) likes to splash around, splash around, splash around

(Your baby's name) likes to splash around as Mommy sponges water

It's better to pick familiar melody to sing to your baby. When baby hears his own name repeated over and over, it makes him feel that he is in a safe place. Every time you sing the song to your baby. This may even help your baby identify and form patterns of behavior. For example, if the same song is sung before naptime every day, just hearing the song might make baby tired.

Suitable for 9 months and up babies

The objects of clapping games is to use your own hands to make noise, to create repetitive interactive patterns, or to be your own rhyme section in the hand. Begin by making up a repetitive clapping pattern. You might start by slapping your knees, then clapping twice. See if baby will copy you. Then let baby make up his own pattern and you copy.

Next, try to do the clapping pattern at the same time, perhaps clapping each other's hands. Then try making up a clapping dance beat and encourage baby to dance or move to your clapping rhythm. Try dancing along with baby as you clap.

Suitable for ages 6 months and up babies

Listen to baby babble. There is sometime a rhythm to the words or sounds. Baby may repeat the same sound melodically over and over. Once a pattern is detected, hum along or say the words baby is saying. Even singing "la, la, la" to baby's gurgling is song-like. Any sound baby makes is active communication. Take advantage of baby's efforts by joining in. Baby will be delighted and feel important at the same time.

Suitable for ages 6 months and up babies

Wind up a musical toy baby likes and hide it somewhere in the room under a small blanket that is visible to baby. Make sure it is close enough so baby can hear it clearly. Ask baby "where is the music?" Crawl around the room together looking for the music. If baby is old enough, have him hide the to while you shut your eyes, and then look for the toy. Baby will be full of giggles if he hides the toy and you make a big deal of finding it (not right away, of course!)

Return from Infant games for Music Play to Infant Games

Return to Kids Games For Playing