Finger chase

This is an easy activity for babies who can reach out and grasp things:

Get the baby’s attention by wiggling your finger, and when he reaches out to grab it, do some slow evasive maneuvers. Let him catch your finger from time to time also, to avoid frustration.

This is a great activity to promote hand-eye coordination, and it also stimulates the connection between the two lobes of the brain if you cross from one side of the body to the other.

Ba-ba-ba with babies

This is a great activity to do when you are holding a baby who is getting fussy. Take her free hand and pat it on your mouth as you say “aaaah, ohhh, ooooo” etc. You end up sounding like you are saying “awawawa, owowowo, ububububu,” and they think it is hilarious.

Side note: this works well the other way too if your child is crying. Try patting his mouth or wiggling your finger over his lips (so he says “bibibibibi”), and 4 times out of 5 you will get a laugh.