For those times when the regular nighty-night routine seems a little ho-hum, try substituting your very own hand-animated bedtime story.
Appropriate for: 7 months to 1 year
Skills developed: Verbal, auditory
What you'll need: A flannel board, available from educational toy stores and catalogs; sheets of colored felt and scissors or purchased felt shapes
You can use traditional store-bought felt shapes, which usually come in themed sets (farm animals, numbers, faces) or make your own by cutting them out with scissors. Stick with larger shapes, as you don't want your baby to put small pieces in his mouth.
Sit facing your baby with the felt board propped on your knees so it's clearly visible. Tell your story – any story, really; don't feel you have to be a master narrator – illustrating the major points with the felt shapes. Move characters on and off the board if it's appropriate to the tale.
If your baby seems more interested in chewing on the felt pieces than in listening to your story, save the board for another time. And when your child is much older, it's fun – and very revealing – to have him tell you a felt-board bedtime story.
Even if your baby's not close to crawling, she's probably working on the motor skills she'll use to become mobile. She may even be pushing herself up off the floor or rocking back and forth on hands and knees. This game will help her get rolling.
Appropriate for: 7 to 11 months
Skills developed: Crawling, creeping, or scooting
What you'll need: Two empty 2-liter plastic beverage containers, strong tape, small, brightly colored plastic toys such as dinosaurs and balls, a couple of jingle bells (optional)
Use a knife or scissors to cut off the tops of both beverage containers about a third of the way down. Put four or five small toys inside one container (an assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors looks most interesting, and a jingle bell or two adds a lot of pizzazz), then wedge one container over the other, overlapping the edges an inch or two and forming a closed cylinder. (Since the containers are the same size, you may need to pinch one slightly to get it to fit inside the other.)
Use strong tape such as packing tape or duct tape to seal the container closed, taking care to completely cover any edges, and you have a fun roller. Now put the cylinder on the floor and show your baby how to push it along. It's a great inducement to crawling as she tries to follow the whirling toys across the floor.
Note: Keep an eye on your baby while she plays with this toy to make sure she doesn't manage to get it open, especially if you're using balls or jingle bells small enough to present a choking hazard.
Remember: Each baby develops at a different pace, so if yours isn't quite ready for this week's activities, don't worry — just try them again in a few weeks.