As the baby grows he will...	You can help the baby learn if you.....
turn body towards object	try to get the infant to adjust his body to the  movement of the object you are holding so he can see it.
gradually gain control of back muscles - sit up, with support	play exercise games while you hold his hands
try (hitting (with up and down arm movement)  and shaking (side to side arm movement)	demonstrate hitting an object against a hard surface with your hand encourage baby to copy
bounce his body in a rhythmic manner	bounce him on your knees to the tempo of background music
sit without support	place attractive toys near him, but so that he must reach for them.
perform a lot of gross motor activity	see that he has many interesting objects and people to interact with
pull himself up and stand firmly while holding on	encourage him to walk while supporting him
crawl up and down stairs	help baby begin upward exploration by aiding and encouraging him to climb up onto low stools etc.

As the baby grows he will...	You can help the baby learn if you.....
cry because he needs you	always be aware of what's happening
begin to try to feed himself	give baby finger foods to practice on
want to use his cup/spoon to feed himself	help him learn, even if it's messy & time consuming.
start trying to pickup things he has dropped	give him chances to pick up all kinds of objects
begin to take off clothing the he can remove easily	let the child do as much as possible for himself when you undress him
look and play with fingers and toes	find ways to play with baby and talk about his fingers, toes etc.
babble and coo in baby talk instead of crying when he is alone	notice when he's babbling to himself and make similar noises for him
turn his head when called by name or when familiar objects are named	call baby by name as you talk to him name similar noises for him
begin to repeat words or sods of more than one syllable	imitate his sounds and give him new words and sounds to try
begin to say real words such as Mama-Dada etc.	respond enthusiastically whenever baby says a real word
begin to know what the names of many things are	tell the baby the name of common things he sees

As the baby grows he will...	You can help the baby learn if you.....
Look all around at things, near and far	move around, try to catch baby's attention
hold onto objects, look at them, put then in his mouth	give baby safe objects with interesting shapes that he can easily hold
spend time looking at his own hands	move mobiles and other objects further away;  let baby look at his hands
bring his hands in front of his body and them together	hold small, safe objects in front of baby so he  can grab them with both hands
turn his body and grab an object with both hands	let baby play with objects that he must turn toward and reach out for
be able to hold two toys at once, reaching across his body to get the second toy	play toy-passing games with baby using only two toys; extend a toy to the hand that already has a toy
play with several toys-dropping one and  picking up another, one by one	show baby to pick things up and drop them one by one
learn about things by handling them - his eyes and hands are learning to work together	give him many interesting things to look at and explore
begin to use the thumb and forefinger grip (pincher grip)	show baby how to pick up these items; finger foods reward baby for practicing
begin to poke, pat and to discover that things stay where they are even when he can't see them	give baby toys that will help him learn these things
let you keep a toy for him while he's playing with other toys	play at passing toys back and fourth with baby;  see how many he can hold
enjoy playing with all kinds of objects	give baby things he can use easily, such as baskets, hats and things that fit inside each other
use different actions with different objects	demonstrate how to use things; try crumpling paper, pulling a toy, squeaking a toy to make it squeak etc.
drop or throw objects	start baby in a cycle of dropping or throwing a ball or a cardboard tube; keep handing it back; back an forth ball-rolling is another CYCLE game
put his spoon in his cup and let go; hold cup with both hands and drink	show baby how to do this; then let him try

As the baby grows he will...	You can help the baby learn if you.....
turn his eyes towards the source of sounds	provide baby with much interaction by calling to him, playing music or making various noises to attract his attention
follow a moving object with his eyes but will not look for an object that has disappeared	place mobiles over his crib or playpen that are partially screened as they move
reject an object or toy after playing wit it many times	provide toys and objects that encourage handling and exploring for size, shape, color, texture, movement and sound
watch at fast moving object as it goes up, down or sideways	play with baby by moving objects, including your face, for baby to follow
usually not turn objects over to see the other side	show baby an object, and then turn it over, let baby try to do it; then give him the object to play with
look carefully at an object by picking it up and turning it many ways	introduce baby to a variety of objects with odd and interesting shapes
smile and talk to faces or objects, such as a mirror	play "peek-a-boo" games with the baby so that he can become familiar with them and learn to expect a series of actions
be able to find and grab an object which moves after he begins to reach for it; he will reach for toys out of his reach	hold an object in front of baby; when he reaches for it, place it in back of something that will hide it; remove what hides it and let him reach for it
imitate you in doing "patty cake", hand clapping and other simple movements	play hand-clapping games with him along with other simple motion games
be able to line up a cube in one hand with his other hand	show him how to put cubes and other objects together in a line, encourage him to try
uncover a toy he has seen hidden	show baby a favorite toy, then partly hide it under the blanket; see if he can uncover it and find it
search for a toy removed from his sight by will always look in the place where it first disappeared	hide an object, let baby find it, then try hiding it in a different place
repeat his actions if he gets people to laugh and play along with him	try not to overdo this, but help baby to be interested in continuing this kind of play and learning by much response to him
begin to see and handle things with more awareness	help him become aware of the various qualities of objects

As the baby grows he will........	You can help him learn if you .....
recognize you, his principle caregiver	try not to let totally unfamiliar people take him where he can't see you
recognize other people that are important, but will probable be shy of strangers	always reassure him and stay with him when strangers stop to chat or play with him
respond to his own image in a mirror	let baby smile and talk to himself in the mirror; use his name and talk about what he sees
have emotional attachments to particular people, and begin to distinguish between their angry or friendly talking	draw baby's attention to activities and other aspects of yourself and other familiar people; talk to him
respond to more than one familiar person at a time	let him go back and forth from you to other people
respond well to his caregiver's actions and begin to recognize his own name	always use baby's name when you talk to him, and play with child to encourage his response
indicates his needs by gestures and vocalization	try to understand what he is trying to say and respond appropriately

As the baby grows he will...	You can help the baby learn if you.....
hold his cup with both hands and drink from it	Let baby practice this skill that must be learned; expect spills
Try to put one 2 inch block on top of the same size.	Show baby what kinds of things he can do with blocks.
Scribble on a large sheet of paper while holding his crayon in his fist	let baby do his own thing with the color of his choice on a large sheet of paper
Begin to turn pages in large stiff-paged books	sit down with baby and a book; let him try to turn the pages; be patient
Like to run around, but will sit still for a while to play with interesting objects	realize that this is a very active age, but try to interest baby in sitting and handing small objects

walk well, unsupported	provide pull toys to encourage the child to walk
move from sitting or stooping to standing position without help	help baby to explore and use his very strong gross motor drives
develop casting or over hand throwing; these actions are very important developmental behavior patterns	give him toys that he can throw safely, specially balls,  both large and small
do much exploring; travel and carry objects from one place to another; be ceaselessly active	make a rich environment for baby to explore, both indoors and outdoors
try out the many ways he can run walk etc.	let him run and play very actively, but always maintain a safe and well supervised area for his play
pound large pegs into a work bench	always supervise pounding or hammering activities; show baby how to do it, then let him try; stay with him as long as he is interested.

be sociable but self-contained and able to play alone for a short time	give him toys and activities that encourage him to play alone
begin to imitate the actions and activities that you and others perform	be available to show your baby many activities that he can easily imitate, and encourage him to watch and imitate others
show affectionate response to you and others, or start other social contacts without your prompting	be sociable with him and let him know that you are glad that he feels happy and affectionate and wants to show it
start to show the beginnings of various social emotions such as affection, jealousy, sympathy, anxiety	respond to his various emotional moods and help him to control them in a positive way
try to achieve a sense of self identity	encourage and applaud all of his attempts at performing for you, and his other ways of trying to find he 'me'
follow simple commands and endure short waits to have his requests responded to	let him know what things he can do and what places he can go to, as patiently and as gently as you can
begin to be eager to get involved in the world around him, and want to try to do more and more.	let him try many different things; take him on short walking trips; don't let him stay in one place too long.
love to listen to music and to dance to it	play music for him, sing songs for him, and let him try to sing them, use songs that will get child dancing and moving with the other children
become more independent of you and be able to better control his own actions and feelings.	let him try to do things on his own and give him support when he does; let him move about the center on his own

begin to say several words, combine with his babbling and try to use words to describe actions	tell baby the names of the actions that you and he are doing
begin to know and name familiar objects and their owners	reply to baby when he correctly names an object or owner by agreeing and repeating the name in a sentence
begin to name and point out familiar pictures in book	look at picture books and magazines with baby letting him try to name familiar objects or articles
take an interest in music and rhythm	play and sing simple songs and do finger plays with baby
begin to point to and name his body parts	always refer to baby's hand, leg, etc. by name and encourage baby to repeat it
begin to understand when you ask him something	show baby things he can do and say by giving him simple directions

start to move freely about the center, on his own	encourage him to walk on his own if he can and wants to
ask you, by sounds and motions, for what he wants	listen to the child and help him learn better ways to be understood
sometimes put out a foot or arm to help you while you dress him	show him the many ways he can help you as you dress him
show interest in trying to make his zippers work	help him work the zippers; patience and time is required
begin to tell you that his diaper needs changing	matter-of-facility help him; he needs to feel good about his bodily functions
be able to sit still for a short time	help him understand why he needs to become used to this new kind of seat

look at and point to the pictures in a book	sit and talk about what he sees, encourage him to point out what he sees.
find an object by looking in the right place when it is hidden in first one place and then another, and then a third place.	play hiding games with baby, by hiding objects in several places;  leave part of the objects exposed so that he can see it
find an object even if it is covered completely when hidden from him	hide an object and then move it to another hiding place; see if he can find it when it is completely hidden
points to a specific object he wants and 'tell' you that he wants it	encourage baby to ask for things by answering his signal and helping him to learn the names of things
when asked to point to three body parts	use the names of the body parts when talking to the child.
place shapes in the proper slots of a foam board	show baby how various shapes are similar and different
look towards and object or place when told to 'look at'	put out things of interest so he becomes aware of them and where they are
understand and follow simple commands	ask baby for a toy, if he does not cooperate,  don't insist; try again later