Even though your newborn might not seem to do much apart from eat and sleep, they are busy exploring and learning about the world around them from the moment they are born. Every moment that your baby is awake he or she is learning boundless things about life, and themselves. You can help your baby in their discovery by playing with them. Playing with your baby at this age is mostly a short period of gentle stimulation, as very young babies tire easily.
Simple things such as pulling funny faces, playing peek-a-boo and singing are great ways to stimulate your babies mind and get them used to interaction. You can give your young baby toys to play with, but at this age it is not necessary to have loud, bright toys as much as experiential ones.
Objects of various textures to familiarise with, sounds to listen to and different visual components, such as aerial mobiles, help expose baby to new experiences. Newborns also benefit greatly from ‘tummy time’ (laying your baby down on their tummy on a soft mat will help them to build their muscles). You should talk to your baby often, and even start to read aloud to them from very early on, as this helps your little one to associate your voice with your face.
The first 12 months of a person’s life is the most highly concentrated period of learning and development. Babies learn by growing, watching, and experiencing the world and people around them.
raisingchildren.net.au. (2020, March 30). Playing with newborns. Retrieved from https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/play-learning/play-ideas/playing-with-newborns