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| Toddler - Week #56 |
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| Milestones |
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Your 56-week-old baby thinks that you are the most important person in his world. Enjoy this time! Between bouts of clinginess, see if you can encourage your baby's independence by playing some games with him. One game you can try is Hide and Seek. This game can reinforce the fact that while he may not be able to see you for a short time, you are still there and will always return to him. |
| Object Permanence |
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For a few months, your baby has been exploring the concept of object permanence. This simply means that objects or people do not disappear because your baby can longer see them. When a baby is very young, he does not seem to miss his caregivers when they leave the room because he simply forgets about anything that is not in his sight. At around 8 months of age, this changes as babies develop object permanence. They learn that objects can exist somewhere else, even if they cannot be seen or touched. Once he realizes that you can leave, this can cause some concern for him, often known as separation anxiety. Your baby does not have a clear understanding of time yet, so when you leave, he is unsure if you will return or how long you will be gone. You can help to ease his fears and teach him that even if you do leave his sight you will return by playing a modified version of Hide and Seek. |
| Activities |
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Play an introductory version of Hide and Seek with your 56-week-old. It's too soon to involve counting or any serious hiding. Instead, find a conspicuous hiding place and let your baby find you. Some examples of good hiding places would be behind a door with your hand showing, under a table, or behind a long curtain with your feet showing. You don't want to frighten your baby by popping out unexpectedly, so make sure that for these first few games, she has an idea of where you are hidden. Since she is new to the game, she won't know where to look for you if you are hidden too well. |
| Finding a Friend |
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Book: Where is My Friend? by Marcus Pfister If you are looking for a book that introduces or incorporates the idea of "seeking" then this book fits the bill. A young porcupine is searching for a friend. He asks various objects with characteristics similar to his porcupine features whether or not they are his friends. The inanimate objects don't supply much company. In the end, the young porcupine finds a friend. This book can also be used to examine the concepts of alike and different. In one instance, the porcupine asks a cactus if it is his friend. While both have quills, they are not the same. Your baby may not fully understand this examination of the pictures, but it is yet another vocabulary building experience. The author, Marcus Pfister, is also the author of The Rainbow Fish and its companion stories. Where is My Friend? has the same gentle tone as The Rainbow Fish and it is a sweet read aloud to enjoy with your baby. |
| Real Life with Baby |
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My first attempt at playing Hide and Seek with Mary came one night while I was outside doing some yard work. Mary was playing with a large ball in the backyard while I moved some brush from one spot to another. I was partially hidden by another bush in our backyard, so I took this opportunity to call to Mary and see if she could come and find me. I could see her through the branches and watched as she turned her head to follow my voice. She quickly toddled around the bush and greeted me with a big grin. I tried to see if she would find me again behind the bush, but she wasn't very interested. A little while later, we returned inside and I decided to try again. I hid behind a door in our dining room, making sure that one of my hands was visible to Mary from the other side. She didn't see me go behind the door, but found me quickly when I called her name. I made sure that I could see her at all times. I didn't want her to lose interest in our game and get into mischief! Once Mary found me, she opened and closed the door a few times, hiding me on her own and then finding me again. We giggled a lot. Finally, I crouched down next to one of our couches when Mary was on the other side of it. I called her name and she came over to find me. All together, we played for about 20 minutes, which is pretty good, given her typical attention span. I'm not sure how she would react to being the one "hidden." She doesn't understand the idea of hiding yet, although with her mischievous grin, I'm sure it won't be long until she figures it out! Mary had slightly more patience with Where is My Friend? than some of the other new books I've tried to introduce lately. She sat through an entire reading of the book before she pushed it to the floor. It seems to me that she is ready for books with more of a story because she seems to be listening so intently. Yet, the books she prefers to listen to have repetition and no real story line. I guess great books like Where is My Friend? will have to wait for a few more months until she is ready to listen to stories. |
| Playing Games of Your Own |
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http://www.edhelper.com/puzzles.htm Challenge your mind with some games this week. Attempt the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper or try a Sudoku puzzle. Many games are found online on the edHelper website. You can print these puzzles and work at them while your baby plays at your feet or while he is sleeping. Expand your mind and give yourself the time to think about something other than your baby, household chores, or other duties that you need to attend to. This break will leave your mind sharper and everyone, including your baby, will benefit from this. |
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