" Wonderful play ideas for the little ones "

Rattles & grasping animals" Sliding animals & cars orclassic grasping toys are the first toys to find their way into the nursery. Today, parents are faced with an almost unmanageable variety of toys. It's not easy to make a quick choice here.

The ideas for play are crucial

It's not so much the toy that makes a game valuable, but rather the intention behind it - i.e. early childhood development. Find out here which baby games are useful, what play ideas there are for the little ones and what you should look out for when buying baby toys.

Creative ideas are important for play

When does a baby actually start playing?

In the first seven years of life, children spend an average of up to eight hours a day playing. This is not a monotonous pastime, but an important step towards learning. It is not for nothing that we often read about play-based learning concepts. In the first few months, the youngest children manage to keep themselves occupied with the simplest things over a longer period of time. This is simply because the new citizens of the world still want to discover and learn so much.

Nevertheless, as parents you naturally have the opportunity to encourage this learning through good play ideas. The best way to recommend play ideas for a baby is to use approximate ages. As always, the individual development of the child is always decisive and the age is only a guideline.

Baby games for 0-3 months

Finger games, grimaces and beautiful melodies - toddlers discover their senses in the first three months. If you want to entertain your little sunshine a little during waking hours, simple gestures that have a visibly positive effect are great at this age. Consciously smile at your little darling. Curl your mouth into a kiss and make it pointed. Don't hesitate to puff out your cheeks. Your little one will squeal happily and be delighted. Little finger games are also popular. Last but not least, you can sing something nice to the diaper wearer. A nursery rhyme with a few words and a light melody is already memorized by the little ones.

Baby games for children aged 3-6 months

Now it can rustle, crackle and rattle - months 3, 4, 5 and 6 are characterized by grasping. Your little sunshine has learned to consciously grasp things with his little hands and then examine them in detail. Grasping toys are therefore ideal as baby games at this age. You can even make this toy yourself. All you need are the appropriate craft materials, such as beads and bells and a little imagination. Rattles also make great noises. In addition, offer the child as many everyday objects as possible. Everything from a saucepan to a spoon is extremely interesting at this age. Make sure that no small parts can be swallowed. Also avoid things with sharp edges or points.

The famous peek-a-boo hide-and-seek game is also fun. Simply hold your hands in front of your face and ask your sunshine where you are. Put your hands away again and beam at the baby. It's great fun.

Baby games with fingers make your little one laugh:

Crawl your fingers along your arm or tummy and sing a new lyric to the tune of Frére Jaque:

"Little caterpillar, little caterpillar, crawls up, crawls up, tumbles down again, tumbles down again And tickles your tummy and tickles your tummy"

You can vary this text to your heart's content and also let your fingers move faster and slower over the little body.

Rattles alone make a great noise. It can be just as exciting when there is a spontaneous concert in the kitchen. You can provide different objects for the baby to play with, such as a pot, an empty tin, a cardboard box and a cushion. The wooden spoon can be used to drum and rattle.

Baby games for children aged 6-12 months

From now on there is no stopping. From 7 months, your little darling is full of life and sets off to explore his surroundings. Crawling, they set off on a search for adventure within their own four walls. Some diaper wearers slide around the apartment on their bottoms to explore their surroundings.

At this age, pull toys and push toys are real classics among baby games. Your little one will love pushing the little animals back and forth in front of them.

By now, your child is also old enough to romp around with you a little more.

Hoppe, Hoppe Rider is something the little ones love at this age. Everyone gets to be the little horse. It's not uncommon for things to get a little wilder, especially on dad's lap. Much to the delight of the child.

Baby games from 12 months

Towards the end of the first year of life, baby toys are expanded to include some classics. Baby games now focus on stacking, sorting and collecting, as this is what creates enthusiasm at this age. The first building blocks, stacking games and laying puzzles are introduced. There are countless ideas for games here. You will soon realize that your little one is incredibly inquisitive and enjoys sorting things. However, make sure that you avoid toys that only occupy your child instead of stimulating play. These are not really recommended baby toys.

Guidelines for baby toys - what to look out for when buying

When it comes to buying toys for babies, you are faced with a wide choice. There are therefore a few essential things to always bear in mind:

• First and foremost, children's toys must be age-appropriate and this means that they must not contain any small and swallowable parts up to the age of three.
• Furthermore, the materials must be tested for harmful substances and must not contain any plasticizers. Quality seals provide information about this.
• The toys must be saliva-proof. This is because in the first few months, your little one really explores everything with their mouth.
• Electronic toys that are used to entertain a child are not only loud and annoying, but also do not help the child's natural development. Therefore, if possible, limit such toys to an absolute minimum.
• A baby does not want to be surrounded by annoying noises all day long. It is much more fun to discover and understand for yourself.

Play on your own! Why this is important even for the youngest children

You are not a raven parent if you allow your child to play on their own in the first few months. You don't have to lock them in their nursery to do this. Instead, lay out a play mat so that your little angel can still feel your presence, but has to occupy himself alone. Don't offer too many toys, just have a small selection ready. The play instinct and curiosity will ensure that your little one will choose something. It is not uncommon for little diaper wearers to prefer everyday objects to toys.

Let children play on their own

In any case, it is important that children learn very early on to play on their own from time to time and to explore and try things out on their own. You can accompany this playtime with a few nice children's songs or an age-appropriate radio play. In this way, your little one will unconsciously continue to learn their mother tongue at the same time.