What to do: Just when the baby is about to sleep or while feeding the baby say affirmations like 'you are kind', 'you are happy', 'you are developing all the intelligences', the food you receive is nourishing you physically and developing you mentally', etc.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Builds emotional intelligence, fosters joy, and reduces anxiety and stress.

Special Tips: Make sure that the person saying affirmations to the baby is calm / happy (for this one can take a few deep breaths and then think of a happy moment to feel happy) before saying the affirmations. The affirmations should always be in present tense and can reference a person Ito denote the quality. Eg. Say you have great music sense like 'AR Rahman' or you are a great visionary & Philanthropist like 'Ratan Tata', or you are physically fit like 'Virat Kohli'. , etc. However avoid comparison

What to do: Use Expressive, Lively Speech: Speak to the baby with clear, varied tones and expressive intonation to make conversations engaging. Avoid monotone; instead, vary your pitch, volume, and rhythm to capture the baby’s attention. Involve the Whole Family: Encourage everyone around the baby to speak with expression and enthusiasm. Maintain a lively tone when talking to the baby to create a stimulating auditory environment.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Auditory Development: Enhances the baby’s ability to detect tone, rhythm, and emphasis in sounds, which are foundational for language development. Attentiveness and Interest: Keeps the baby actively engaged in listening and aids in learning meaningful sounds and words.

Special Tips: Be Consistent and Natural: Talk to the baby as part of daily routines, such as dressing or feeding, using expressive language to make these moments engaging. Show Enthusiasm: Babies are highly responsive to enthusiasm, so infusing joy into interactions helps them stay attentive and builds a positive association with listening.

What to do: Take a medium or big sized bowl and place a toy inside it while closing the open side with a transparent cling foil. Hand it over to thebaby to play. Let the infant figure out how to get out the trapped toy.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn):

Special Tips: Closely supervise so that the infant does not put the items or cling foil in their mouth / nose.

What to do: Take some paper plates and 4-5 bowls / glasses / Cardboard tube each of different circumference. Cut out a circle of exact circumference of each item in each paper plate. Now place this setting in front of the infant when sitting and demonstrate once by placing the cut paper plate over the exact container. Let the baby take charge.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): This activity improves their attention span, fine & gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem solving ability.

Special Tips: You could colour the plates in different colour or chose items of different shapes. You could also encourage the baby to walk ( wthe caregiver should hold baby's torso with both hands for support) and carry the plate for a few steps by placing the plates and cups away

What to do: Chose 3-4 toys that baby plays with everyday. Place all toys in a line about 12inches away from each other. Now ask the baby about one of the toys by naming it viz. Where is "Name of the toy?', OR Can you point at 'name of the toy?', OR Hand over "name of the toy". Now do the same with other toys.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): This activity encourages baby to understand basic command and learn two-way communication. Develops fine & gross motor skills alongside hand-eye coordination. Encourages independence and determination in completing tasks with positive reinforcement.

Special Tips: Positive Reinforcement: Celebrate each right attempt by doing the clap clap activity as part of appreciation alongside verbal praise. Make sure to introduce the toys and a few times (5-6 times) if you are unsure of the familiarity of the toy with baby. Keep the commands simple. Demonstrate with another caregiver in front of the baby if required instead of explaining the process to the baby.

What to do: Hold your baby upright by supporting their torso (underarms or waist, depending on comfort and balance). Play a rhythmic, upbeat song — preferably one with repetitive beats or clear words like “bounce,” “up,” or “down.” Gently bounce the baby in sync with the rhythm — up and down on the beat or at specific cue words. After a minute of bouncing, pause and replay the song. Observe if your baby anticipates the rhythm or begins to “bounce” or move along when the music starts again.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): This playful rhythmic activity strengthens the baby’s sense of timing, rhythm, and auditory processing, crucial for language and coordination development. The gentle bouncing enhances body awareness, balance, and motor control through vestibular stimulation. When the caregiver and baby engage face-to-face during the bouncing, it nurtures emotional bonding and social attunement, developing interpersonal intelligence. Over time, babies begin to predict patterns — an early sign of cognitive sequencing and memory building.

Special Tips: Safety First: Always support your baby’s torso securely and ensure a soft surface (like a play mat or carpeted floor). Music Choice: Pick songs with a steady beat — nursery rhymes like “Row Row Row Your Boat,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” or a rhythmic instrumental track. Follow the Baby’s Lead: If the baby starts smiling, cooing, or moving with the beat, encourage them verbally (“Yay! You’re bouncing to the song!”). Cue & Pause: Stop the music mid-way occasionally to build anticipation and attention span — see if the baby looks at you or moves, expecting the bounce again. Variation: As the baby grows, let them stand holding onto a stable surface (like a couch) and bounce slightly on their own to promote independence.

What to do: Place 3–5 colorful scrunchies already around a cylindrical tube (like an empty kitchen roll). Encourage your baby to pull each scrunchie off one by one. Say the action aloud (“Pull it off!”, “Yay, it came out!”) and hand it back for the next round.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Improves finger strength, grip control, and hand-eye coordination. Builds focus, confidence, and early language association (“pull,” “off,” “again”). Reinforces bonding through shared joy and praise.

Special Tips: Use soft, easy-to-grip scrunchies and a steady tube. Demonstrate once, then let baby try independently. Celebrate every pull with smiles or claps. Stop if baby seems tired or distracted.

What to do: Create a small basket with safe natural items — a leaf, flower petal, smooth pebble, coconut shell piece, or dry seed pod. Let your baby explore by touching, smelling, and holding each object as you name it (“This is a leaf,” “This is a stone”).

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Introduces baby to textures, colors, and natural elements, awakening sensory curiosity and environmental awareness. Builds vocabulary, attention, and fine-motor coordination.

Special Tips: Use large (cannot be swallowed easily), clean, baby-safe natural objects. Sit outdoors if possible for fresh sensory exposure. You can replace items weekly for novelty.

What to do: Fill a shallow tub with water and drop in lightweight floating objects — small bath toys, leaves, or flower petals. Give your baby a large ladle or cup and show how to scoop the floating items. Encourage them to fish the toys out one by one while naming or counting each (“You caught one!” “Here’s a leaf!”).

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Boosts fine-motor coordination, hand-eye precision, and focus as baby learns to aim and scoop. Introduces water play as sensory learning and builds observation of floating/sinking behavior — key to early scientific thinking.

Special Tips: • Always supervise closely during water play. • Use shallow water and unbreakable, baby-safe objects. • Add verbal cues (“Scoop it up!” “Splash-splash!”) to build language and rhythm. • Keep towels handy and end when baby loses interest.

What to do: Wrap 3–4 small toys in newspaper or soft wrapping paper. Place them in front of your baby and encourage them to tear, crumple, and unwrap to discover what’s inside. Add excitement by saying “What’s hiding inside?” or “Let’s open it!

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Builds fine-motor strength, problem-solving, and curiosity as baby learns to unwrap and reveal hidden toys. Encourages focus, sensory awareness, and early cause-effect understanding (“When I tear this, I find something!”). Boosts language development through simple, joyful phrases during play.

Special Tips: • Use soft, easy-to-tear paper and baby-safe toys. • Demonstrate the first unwrap if needed. You can also use different coloured & textured papers for further tactile stimulation. • Encourage verbal response (“What did you find?”). • Keep it eco-friendly with recycled or plain paper. • Clean up small paper bits right after play.

What to do: Play short clips of different musical instruments — like a drum, flute, guitar, or piano. As each sound plays, show a matching flashcard or picture of the instrument and say its name aloud (“This is a drum — boom boom!”). Pause briefly and replay to let baby connect the sound, image, and name.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Enhances auditory discrimination and sound recognition by linking what baby hears to what they see. Builds early language association and memory recall (“sound → image → word”). Fosters focus and strengthens listening skills — key foundations for music and speech development.

Special Tips: Use 3–4 distinct sounds per session; repeat often for familiarity. Add fun actions (tap hands for drum, sway for flute). Maintain good volume — not too loud for baby ears.

What to do: Place a small rolling toy or car on a sofa edge or low surface where your baby can hold on for support. Gently roll the toy forward to encourage your baby to move sideways. When they reach the end, roll it back or place another toy at the other side so baby learns to stop, turn, and continue.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Encourages supported walking, balance, and directional awareness. Strengthens leg, core, and coordination muscles while teaching problem-solving (how to turn or change direction). Helps develop the brain’s motor planning circuits and spatial orientation.

Special Tips: • Ensure the surface is stable and free from hazards. • Offer gentle verbal cues (“turn,” “stop,” “go”). • Use baby’s favorite toy for motivation. • Celebrate every attempt with claps or smiles — positive reinforcement boosts neural reward pathways linked to learning.

What to do: Use simple, consistent hand gestures (baby signs) for daily cues like hi, bye, milk, eat, more, or all done. Demonstrate the gesture every time you say the word in context. Encourage baby to imitate or respond using their version of the sign.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Supports early communication before speech develops. Builds word–action associations that strengthen language pathways and emotional expression. Encourages social connection and attention-sharing, important for emotional intelligence and pre-verbal bonding.

Special Tips: Start with 2–3 common signs; be consistent and patient. Always say the word aloud with the gesture. Respond warmly when baby signs — it reinforces confidence and trust. Use routines (feeding, bedtime, greeting) to repeat signs naturally.

What to do: Hide behind a scarf and pop out with expressions — happy, surprised, sad. Name each emotion.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Introduces emotional awareness and empathy foundations.

Special Tips: Use gentle exaggerated expressions, encourage baby to copy and appreciate when imitating right. You can also explain when you feel these emotions. Eg. when the baby smiles, mamma feels happy OR when I mumma gets hurt, she is sad

What to do: Place two bowls and small snack pieces (like banana and puff). Encourage baby to move each into a matching bowl, demonstrate first.

Purpose (How it helps your child to learn): Strengthens hand control and early categorization skills.

Special Tips: You can use different shapes of snacks & reinforce shapes or colours by naming them as the baby sorts. Make sure the snacks a re safe for baby to consume and dont bother if its lands in baby's mouth instead of sorting bowl. Appreciate each successful attempt.