Eleven-month-old Palmer loves playing peekaboo, or “peek,” as his mom and dad call it. “I’m surprised how much I’ve relied on traditional games and songs to entertain him,” says his father, Kris Lew of Peterborough, Ont. Palmer especially enjoys the game when it involves the hiding of a favourite puppet. “I think it’s taught him how to focus on an object and learn eye contact. And it makes him laugh,” says Lew.

Awed by the rapid development of their babies, parents are always eager to help that progression. In fact, says Dr. Jean Wittenberg, head of infant psychiatry at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, “The first two years of life are the fastest learning curve.” However, the best way to interact with your baby isn’t to teach him to focus or concentrate or grab things — he does that just fine on his own — but rather, to simply interact with him in lively and fun ways. “The most important thing is to just be responsive to babies,” says Dr. Wittenberg. “If parents try to manipulate what babies are learning, then they stop being responsive to what babies need.”

Enter baby games. Touching your baby and playing with her creates an ideal forum for learning. Babies learn best when they are having fun, according to Dr. Pratibha Reebye, director of the Infant Psychiatry Clinic at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. “Children are novelty seekers,” she notes. Here’s how some classic baby games encourage babies’ normal development, with the added bonus of eliciting plenty of giggles.

itsy-bitsy spider

All infants are born capable of learning any language. And singing lullabies, reading books or simply speaking to them in an exaggerated manner helps develop their auditory pathways in such a way that they begin to understand language, says Dr. Reebye. Repetitive music, such as Itsy-bitsy Spider and Old MacDonald Had a Farm, are better for infants because they allow them to focus on specific sounds. “When syllables are broken down, it is simpler to notice and therefore easier for the child to pick up on,” explains Dr. Wittenberg.

this little piggy

Games that involve touch, such as This Little Piggy, are wonderful ways to help infants learn the physical nature of the world, e.g., being touched versus touching someone else. They don’t learn number sequences, but “they do know their toes, and that the game is something mommy or daddy plays after bath,” says Dr. Reebye. “It’s a ritual that has meaning for them, and it’s exciting because it is not just a game, it’s an activity.”

peekaboo

“Games that demand mutual involvement such as peekaboo, hide-and-seek and pat-a-cake probably encourage infant coordination,” says Dr. Reebye. Certainly peekaboo teaches object permanence: when someone is gone or not gone. And pat-a-cake is a terrific game for helping to develop not only hand-eye coordination, but for imparting the knowledge that things happen in sequences in life, she adds.

what else you can do

Because babies are learning so much so quickly, their interest in new objects, such as a shiny rattle, doesn’t last long. It’s called “habituation,” and it doesn’t mean you need to expose them to an endless stream of new toys. Simply take your baby’s cue, says Dr. Wittenberg. If she’s into colourful toys, show her brightly coloured pieces of paper. Introduce her to new textures through materials or sounds and movements with a mobile that moves. “You’re really just showing them all kinds of different experiences in the world,” says Dr. Wittenberg.

Lesley Young, an award-winning writer in Newmarket, Ont., is stockpiling ideas for fun and engaging baby games, which will come in handy when she and her husband start a family.

hey baby

Dr. Reebye offers one cautionary note for parents — beware of overstimulating your infant. She discourages dangling keys and tickling, which adults may think is entertaining for a baby, but it’s often more fun for the parent.

Try an infant massage for a better way to connect with your baby.