Play Ideas For Rainy Days With a 10 Month Old

Babies love finding new skills and then practising these new skills over and over and over again. Remember that something as simple as clapping, for instance, to you may not be very exciting but for your baby it will probably be the most amazing thing ever because your little one will have found that by putting his hands together he can make a sound.

The fact that almost everything around him is completely new makes creating new games out of very simple household objects relatively easy - set what you know aside and think like a baby!

Start off by collecting a few things from around your home such as:

• Large buttons
• Ribbon
• Cotton buds
• Dried pasta shells
• Marbles

Put everything you have collected into a jar with the lid left off to begin with and simply pass it to you little one for him/her to investigate.

Most likely he will immediately start delving into the jar and looking through the contents, however, if he needs some encouragement, shake the jar so that it makes a sound or even empty everything out of the jar and see if he tries to put the items back in.

This game is simple, but babies will love taking their time to look through all the little curiosities you have put together.

Some tips:

1. You could mix it up by using a shoebox or baking tray to put the bits and bobs in, instead of a jar
2. Or use several different sized containers
3. Grab yourself a drink when you present the jar, so you can enjoy watching and relax at the same time.

It goes without saying, but never leave your baby or toddler with items that could be a choking hazard.

Messy play is great for your baby - and finger painting is just one brilliant way for your little one to experiment with colours.

Resign to the fact that this activity will result in a lot of cleaning (and a bath) afterwards and I recommend using a high chair to prevent your home being redecorated...

We all know from our children's concentration and delight that finger painting is a fun activity, but did you know that it is actually an ideal activity for brain development? By swirling their fingers through paint, children are learning and developing:

• An understanding of different colours and the difference in shades of those colours
• How mixing two colours results in another entirely different one
• Muscle control
• Hand-eye coordination
• Self expression
• Manipulation of surrounding stimuli (the paints and paper in this case)

So it really isn't just a fun activity and to add a twist of excitement you could show your child how to use sponges or other household items to make different patterns.

Don't just hide behind your hands when playing peekaboo - pop up from behind the couch and then move behind a curtain... Use sheets when you are folding away laundry so you are integrating play with those ever looming household chores.

Peekaboo is a great game because of the repetition - babies adore repetition because they like knowing what is going to happen next (this is why they also prefer to have some kind of routine). Again, you may be surprised to find that peekaboo also etches valuable learning skills for the future, as your baby isn't just developing a good sense of fun and humour, he is also learning about object permanence (an object still exists even when he can't see it) and playing a simple game of peekaboo also helps your child develop a good memory! So keep bobbing up and down from behind that cushion - baby is benefiting from it the whole time (yes, even when you're sick of it!)

Babies love finding out how things work and move - particularly if it's a simple enough concept that they can understand how to copy you and do it for themselves. You would be surprised at how much delight, laughter and fascination can come from simply showing your 10 month old that a ball can be rolled, bounced, passed, spun around and thrown.

As you bounce the ball, make different sound effects - "boing", "whee" and "whoosh" all go down well - along with many others.

So what is your baby learning from such a simple exercise?

1. How things move
2. Cause and effect (pushing the ball results in it rolling forwards - or to the side"
3. Language skills - though it may not seem like it, your baby is paying close attention to words that you are saying and describing the ball and it's movement will help your baby learn new words and their meaning.
4. Social skills. All the time you are playing together, your baby is learning about sharing, interacting, expressing herself and communicating.
5. Sense of humour - you may find your baby finds certain noises hilarious - or even watching you throw the ball against a wall and catching it.

Show your child how to make a tower and then how to knock it to the floor - this game is so simple (yet again), but the little ones adore it!

Talk to your baby as you stack the cups about the colours, shapes and different sizes as this will help his language skills develop.

By playing this game, your tot is also learning:

• Colours
• Shapes
• Size differences
• Cause and effect (by knocking the tower over)
• Motor skills
• Hand-eye coordination