What is the practice?
Baby’s first games develop a child’s emerging understanding of how to play with and get someone to do something fun and interesting.
What does the practice look like?
Lap games involve back-and-forth, your-turn/my-turn play between an infant and a parent that includes silly sayings and short nursery rhymes. The adult does something, the child does something, and the adult continues or repeats the game.
How do you do the practice?
Here are some tried-and-tested lap games that are sure to delight your young child. Search the Web using parent infant lap games to find more first games for babies. The games included in this practice guide are ones that get infants excited about playing and interacting with their parents. It is best to play games that include words and movements that especially interest your child.
How do you know the practice worked?
- Does your child make movements to start or continue the game?
- Does your child smile or laugh when a game is finished?
- Does your child vocalize to communicate delight?
- Peek-a-Boo (also known as Peep Eye)
Peek-a-Boo simply involves covering something (adult’s face, baby’s face, a favorite toy) and saying, “Where is ____? What should we do?” and then uncovering the person or thing and saying, “Peek-aboo! Peek-a-boo! I see you!” The game is often first played by hiding your own face with your hands and progresses to covering your child’s face with a small cloth or towel. You will be doing all or most of the game when first playing Peek-a-Boo. Try repeating the movement and words a few times, then wait until your child does something to tell you to do it again. It won’t take long for him to start removing a cloth placed over his face. Seeing you will likely get him to smile and vocalize to you. - So Big
So Big involves gently stretching your infant’s arms above his head while saying, “How big is (child’s name)? He is so, so, sooo big. Someone’s gonna get you. Here comes a pig.” The game ends with you saying, “Oink, oink” and kissing your child’s tummy or neck. Infants lying on their backs will sometimes lift their arms up in the air to try to start or continue to play the game. Babies who can sit up often stretch their hands and arms over their heads. Anytime your child tries to start or do part of the game, respond by filling in the rest of the game to keep it going. - Ride a Little Pony
Infants who have head control and can sit up with or without support delight in playing this game. Hold your child in a sitting position on your knees, facing you. While gently bouncing him up and down, say “Ride a little pony down to town. Better be careful, so you don’t fall down.” As you say “don’t fall down,” pretend to have your child fall by opening your legs and letting him slide down between your legs. Infants who especially like this game will try to bounce when placed on the adult’s knees to get the game started.
Take a look at more of babies’ first games...
Peek-a-Boo to You!
Andy, 3 months old, and his father have found a fun way to play Peek-a-Boo. Every time Andy wakes up after sleeping, his father hides behind Andy’s favorite blanket and says, “Where’s Andy? Where’s Andy?” The sound of his father’s voice starts Andy cooing and getting excited. As soon as Andy “calls” to his father, Dad pops his head from behind the blanket and says, “Peek-a-boo. I see you!” Dad hides again and the game starts over. Andy looks to the right and then to the left to see where his dad will appear next.
Heigh-Ho!
Five-month-old Cindy and her dad play many different kinds of rough-and-tumble games. She has learned to make sounds to tell her dad to “let the games begin.” Cindy especially likes “riding” on her dad’s leg. Her father puts her in a sitting position on his foot facing him while holding onto both of her hands. He bounces her up-and-down while saying, “Ride a horse. Ride a horse. Cindy goes around. Not too fast, not too fast or Cindy falls down” while pretending to have her “crash.” She looks at her dad and makes all kinds of sounds to get him to play the game again.
Mommy’s Pratfalls
Robert, 10 months old, isn’t able to stretch his arms out above his head because of some physical difficulties, but this does not stop his mother from playing lap games with him. She has figured out how to take what Robert can do and turn it into a fun game. With Robert lying on his back, she gently pushes his feet so his knees bend toward his chest while saying, “Robert is so strong. What a big frown. He is so strong. He pushes me down” while she pretends to fall over. He gets more and bright-eyed each time the game is played and has started to laugh out loud just as he pushes his feet to see his mother fall over!
