Why is baby play important?

Play is essential for your baby’s overall development, learning and wellbeing.

Through play, your baby learns about the world around them, as they explore and figure out how things work. For example, when your baby shakes a rattle, it shows them that they can make things happen.

Active play that gets your baby moving strengthens muscles and builds gross motor skills and fine motor skills. And any play that involves looking at each other, talking, singing and reading is great for helping your baby learn about emotions, language and communication.

Playing with your baby sends a simple message – you’re important to me. Play strengthens your relationship with your baby. And a strong relationship with you is essential to development, because it gives your baby the confidence to keep exploring and learning.

How to play with babies: play ideas

Babies love playing with you. This means that baby play is simple because all you need to get started with baby play is yourself and your baby.

It’s good to try plenty of different play activities with your baby. This gives your baby many ways to learn about their world. Here are play ideas:

  • Blow raspberries, poke out your tongue, make faces or try a game of peekaboo. Babies love faces, so these are all good ways to play with your baby.
  • Make noise together. Sing all kinds of songs, both loud and soft, and fast and slow. You can tap or hit pots and pans loudly or shake rattles or bells.
  • Make a safe place in your home that encourages movement and play. This lets your baby practise skills like sitting up, crawling, pulling up, cruising and walking.
  • Give your baby different things to touch – smooth leaves from a non-toxic tree, rough toy blocks or a cold ice cube. Babies also love touching different parts of your face and having you gently touch theirs.
  • Sing simple nursery rhymes like ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’. Your baby will also enjoy hearing nursery rhymes and traditional songs from your own or other cultures and languages. Rhymes or songs that involve actions or touch are particularly enjoyable for babies.
  • Have a ‘conversation’ with your baby. Talk or make other sounds, look at your baby’s face and wait for your baby to respond. Your baby might surprise you with how much they have to say!
  • Read with your baby. Reading together can be a special time with your baby, even if your baby wants to read the same story many times. Hearing the same story many times is a way for your baby to learn about language.

Play is about having fun. Your baby will use special baby cues to tell you whether they want to keep playing and when they’re tired and want quiet time.

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