Playing and Learning with Baby
Structured and Unstructured Games and Activities for Infants
Jan 25, 2009
Keep in mind that a baby's way of "playing" is very different from an older person's. For instance, before baby can sit up, watching mom sing, gnawing on a chew toy, and slapping water in the bath might all be methods of playing. For an older baby, dropping objects in a bin (or, yes, from the dining table), looking at a board book, babbling loudly, and pulling off socks might count as playing. In other words, the games baby plays will evolve continuously as baby gains more control of his/her body and increased understanding of how the world works.
It is important that infants have a chance to experience many different forms of play:
- Structured or unstructured
- Solitary or interactive
- Geared towards language, gross motor (arms and legs), fine motor
- (fingers), cognitive (problem-solving) and/or social development
- Quiet or loud
Many parents feel the need to constantly stimulate their baby, then wonder why that same child grows up to be someone who can't entertain him/herself quietly for five minutes. As long as baby is getting plenty of interaction, encourage quiet times when baby is playing alone (or even just contently staring at the wall). That downtime not only builds an infant's ability to play by him/herself, but is also necessary to give baby's brain time to absorb and process all the things it is learning.
Structured Play
Structure is an important component of the lives of older children (like school and organized sports) and adults. It is important that young children be exposed to games that have a set sequence and/or rules. Even young babies can be introduced to simple structured games:
- Sing songs with movement (Pat-a-cake, Ten Little Indians, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, etc.). As baby gets older, encourage him/her to act out the movements.
- Play Peek-a-boo
- Roll a ball back and forth
- Play with stacking or nesting toys
At this stage, almost all structured play is interactive in the sense that an older child or adult will need to show baby what to do. At this stage, however, babies do not interact very well with each other (though they might occasionally notice and enjoy another baby’s presence).
Unstructured Play
Unstructured play has no rules or obvious goals. It is guided only by bay’s creativity and use of “found” objects. In unstructured play, the caregiver resists the urge to show the “correct” way to do or order something. As long as baby is safe, anything is game.
A sock can become a mitten. Anything hard, like a spoon or block turns into a “musical” instrument perfect for banging. Babies also learn by putting things in their mouths. Of course, parents need to make sure the objects are safe and clean (with soap and water; babies should not be licking disinfectant from their toys!) Crawling, strolling, or walking around outside also create great opportunities for unstructured play and discovery. Babies can hold rocks and leaves, look at ants and caterpillars, etc.
Both structured and unstructured games have many benefits for growing babies, including:
- Nurturing creativity
- Helping mastery of a new skill or concept through practice
- Teaching patients and resilience through trial-and-error
- Learning to love nature, books, sports, and learning itself
- Bonding with adults
- Learning about the world and baby’s place in it
- Teaching pride in accomplishment
Almost any little thing presents an opportunity to combine play and learning in a baby’s life – so take advantage of it starting now! Play with baby and let baby play by him/herself. Use games with set rules and patterns, but also let baby experiment and have fun in his/her own way.
