Action words, such as open and close, are easy to introduce to your baby at this age. This activity will give you an opportunity to talk to your baby about the concept of closing or opening an item or body part, as well as different cause and effect concepts.
- book
- old sunglasses case
- empty baby wipes box
Step 1: Start the activity by focusing on body parts. During playtime or snack time, you can talk to your child about opening and closing his hands, for example. You might say:
Let’s see what parts of our body we can open and close. What about our hands? Look at my hand — it’s open. Now I’m going to close my hand (tighten to a fist). I want to open it again. Try opening and closing your hands, Brady!
Step 2: After talking with your baby about opening and closing his hands, show him an item that can be easily opened and closed, like a book. He may expect you to read to him if you have introduced books to him already. Be sure to use the words “open” and “close” whenever it’s appropriate.
Step 3: Once your baby masters opening and closing a simple object and a body part, add new items over time. Other body parts that can be opened and closed are eyes, mouths and arms. Items to open and close include shoe boxes, eyeglass cases and a mailbox.
