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 1- to 3-Year-Olds
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W
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S
B
E I N G
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E A R N E D
Showing children that at any point, things may be delightfully different
than they expected gives them a lifelong gift. It is this expectation that keeps
us keen and pleasantly alert to life’s possible surprises.
The Feely Game
Babies first get information about objects by putting them on their lips and
into their mouths, the most sensitive areas of their body. Later, they learn
to use their fingertips for this information and begin to get pleasure from
the simple act of stroking the surfaces of things. This stroking stimulates
the nerve receptors in their skin, which helps them learn to distinguish dif-
ferences in textures.
In this game, you encourage that awareness by giving your child the
opportunity to feel a large variety of textures.
T
Y P E S O F
A
T T E N T I O N
E
N C O U R A G E D
Open and focused
M
A T E R I A L S
Items in and around your house—for example: doors, sponges, towels,
rugs, throw pillows, couch, hairbrush, cotton balls, toilet paper, sink,
pillow, blanket, curtains, apples, oranges, grapes, yarn, feathers, sand-
paper, materials or clothes with different textures (such as silk, velvet,
corduroy, wool, and tweed), trees, leaves, rocks, webbed lounge chairs
D
I R E C T I O N S
When your child is learning to walk and enjoys taking your hand and explor-
ing his world, it’s a great time to walk around the house and yard and say,“Let’s
play the Feely Game. Let’s see what things feel like.” Then touch the refrigera-
tor and other household items as you walk around from thing to thing.