Play Time with Baby: Building Her Sense of Sound

Your baby loves the sound of mommy's voice!  So it's fun to talk to your baby and see her expressions.  

She may already know you are talking to her, especially when you are right in front of her. Now play a game with her that will help her to locate the sound of your voice when it's farther away.   

First, put her in an infant seat in the middle of the room. Then, take a walk around the room while talking or singing to her. Next, make a variety of funny noises in different pitches. Last, start whispering her name and then gradually say her name louder and lounder. 

In the beginning, she may not yet be able to fully turn her head toward your position. However, she will hear differences in the sound of your voice. Over time she will be able locate you as you move from spot to spot. 

Playing this game will help boosts her social development and sense of security as you move out of sight and then reappear as well as build her auditory and visual tracking senses. 

Playtime with Baby: Build your own Baby Gym

Excite your baby's senses by creating your own baby mobile gymnasium.
Gather colorful toys. Little stuffed animals, rattles, or a ring of plastic keys are examples of what to use. Suspend the play items from clips or clothepins or thread them on a length of strong rope. Then stretch your baby mobile gymnasium across his crib. Make sure the mobile gymnasium is close enough to stimulate his senses but out of reach. This will excite your baby's senses while promoting spatial awareness and eye-hand coordination while you move the toys or talk as you play. He'll likely be delighted and may even coo and kick.

Part 2 Building Your Child's Intellect from 5 to 7 months

Let your baby struggle...a little

At this age your 5 to 7 month old gets to learn to cope with gravity from the experience of falling from a sitting position.  Obviously this type of experience should only occur in carpeted or padded areas. When the five- to seven-month-old topples from a sitting position, wise parents will let him struggle briefly before coming to his assistance. Parents who rush too quickly to help often do a disservice to the infant by removing his opportunity to respond to and struggle through this situation successfully.  Allowing him to try to recover from a gentle fall will increase his physical balance and allow him to build muscular capacity.

Part 1 Building your 5 to 7 Month Old's Intellect

By the time a baby is five to seven months old (depending on each child’s individual abilities), he is becoming ego-centered and is demanding more attention. He prefers to be in the sitting position and struggles to be where he can see and interact with others. At this age, his sensory experiences will have increased greatly. He should have many objects to grasp and examine. He should be able to to shift objects from one hand to another. Help him practice this.


Increase your baby’s exposure to music and conversation during this time. Your infant now has more social awareness and will respond readily to things that happen around him. He should have an opportunity to grasp and bang toys or his fists on his high chair or feeding table. This and other similar experiences will stimulate him to make vocal sounds. Encourage his vocalization as much as possible in other experiences besides crying. Try to get him to make sounds and make a special effort to react to the sounds he makes.

Part 2 Playtime with your infant during the first 16 weeks

Delighting your Baby's Senses
Your little baby's senses are very keen, especially to sounds and touch.  That is why this playtime activity is so much fun.  First, position your baby so she is looking directly at you.  Then lightly caress her skin with your fingertips.  As you are doing this, speak softly and pleasingly to your baby.  Now try using a soft toy or fabric and lightly brush this across her arms, legs, face, and tummy.  Last, say things like "tickle, tickle, tickle!" And "oh it's so soft!"  With her keen sense of touch and sound, she will love the intellectual interaction and bond that she is having with you.  

Part 1 Playtime with your infant During the First 16 Weeks

Facinating Faces

Before playing with your infant make sure that he is ready: diaper, recently fed, recently had a nap.  Position him so that he is looking straight at you.  Your baby loves to look at you and is facinated by your face.  Try opening your mouth wide with a smile and making ooooooh and aaaaaaaah noises.  Stick out your tongue and move your eyebrows up and down.  Make silly faces.  Laugh.  This game will stimulate your infant's intellect and will also bond you with your baby.  You may even notice that your infant may be imitating you by sticking out his tongue or making noises.  This simple game may only last for only a minute or two, but will reward you and your baby again and again. 

Part 4 Learning During the First Few Weeks of Life

By the time a baby reaches 16 weeks of age, she will likely have begun to show interest in matters other than feeding, sleeping, and being kept dry and clean. She will want to be held and will enjoy being propped up. Objects that attract attention and stimulate curiosity on a broader scale should come into her experience at this time. She should have her feeding and sleeping routine fairly well established. Encourage her to follow moving objects with her eyes and to reach for things with her hands. Provide frequent opportunities for her to vocalize, touch, and reach for things.


The 16-week-old child should show some emotional response to outside stimuli. She should be cooing and trying to make initial sounds other than crying. She should be stimulated to smile, even laugh aloud, and to respond to all kinds of sound and motion.