B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

Games for Infants
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the muscles and joints, which causes children to be aware of what is going
on in their body. This internal focusing gives babies a head start on con-
trolling their own musculature, which leads to better coordination. When
children have confidence in their coordination, they are much more will-
ing to pay attention when playing sports, dancing, hiking, and doing other
physical things.
Can You Hear What I Hear?
You can help your child learn that sound coming into one ear means that
the source of the sound is coming from that side, and sound coming equally
into both ears means that the source of the sound is either above, below, or
in front of her. Although this may seem obvious, the reality is that, like
everything else, this is something we all have to learn from experience. You
can help reinforce your child’s learning by playing this game.
T
Y P E O F
A
T T E N T I O N
E
N C O U R A G E D
Focused
(Variations are open and focused)
M
A T E R I A L S
Rattle
Music
D
I R E C T I O N S
While your baby is lying on her back, shake a rattle on one side of her head
and out of sight of her eyes. When she turns her head to find the source of
the noise, praise her skill. “You found the rattle, you smart girl, you!” Keep
moving the rattle around in different locations, including above and below
her, while encouraging your infant to find the sound. “Where is it now? Can
you find it? You did!” Change the noisemaker to keep the game interesting.
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Attention Games
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