Play is key to your baby’s development. Dr Angharad Rudkin, a clinical child psychologist with 14 years experience working with children and families, explains how you can help your baby learn through play.

Birth to three months
Three to six months
Six to nine months
Nine months to one year

Birth to three months

For the first few months, your baby will spend a lot of time sleeping and feeding, and playtime will involve simple things like talking to him, showing him things and smiling with him. “During the first few months, play should be led by your baby,” says Dr Rudkin. “Take your lead from him. He may be quite happy kicking on his mat on his own or he may want your attention.” If he’s in need of some interaction, he will tell you by crying, wriggling or making eye contact with you.

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Contrasting patterns Your baby will most enjoy looking at contrasting objects, such as black and white patterns, in the early days when his vision is still fuzzy. He will become more interested in colour contrasts after the first few weeks, as his vision improves.

The natural world You don’t need to spend lots of money on special toys. He’ll be just as happy when you show him the things around him, like the way light comes through the window blinds or how leaves flutter in the wind. “Patrick loves looking at the venetian blinds in our bedroom. He just stares at them in fascination," says Victoria, mum of Patrick, two weeks. "He also loves to look at my face. He has even started copying me. When I stick my tongue out, he does it back!’

Reflections Little baby or pocket mirrors (with frames, to avoid sharp edges) are excellent toys – your baby will love looking at his reflection, even though he doesn’t know that it’s him yet.

Three to six months

As your baby grows, he begins to learn that if he does something it will have a consequence – for example, if he shakes his rattle, it makes a noise.  From this develops the understanding that he can have an effect on the world and, by doing something again and again, he’ll learn by repetition and experience.

“You can help your baby by giving descriptions of what’s happening when you play,” says Dr Rudkin. For example, if you are playing with a teddy, say, "Look at the teddy jumping!" as you do the actions with the toy.

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Dangling toys Your baby will love to reach out and grasp toys that are dangling within his reach, and will be able to hold onto them with both hands.

Peekaboo The simplest games are often the best – try playing peekaboo, which will teach your baby that things go on existing even when he can’t see them and he’ll also learn to anticipate what comes next and wait for it to happen, helping to develop memory and an idea of the future. “I often play peekaboo with Elizabeth when I’m getting her dressed," says Katherine, mum of Elizabeth, five months. "She loves it and expects it, even looking a little disappointed if I don’t do it because I’m in a rush. I can’t wait for her to start doing it herself.”

Six to nine months

By this age, your baby has much greater control over his hands, can drop one object in order to pick up another, and will look closely at things and turn them over to explore them further. He’ll love holding things, and will put them in his mouth to ‘explore’ them.

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Boxes of fun A great toy that you can make yourself is a treasure trove. Put lots of large coloured objects of different sizes and textures in a basket for your baby to explore (make sure they are not a choking hazard).

Musical toys He’ll enjoy playing with anything that makes a sound, as well as singing games and music groups.

Hide and seek Sit your baby on the floor, show him a squeaky toy or teddy and make it squeak. Then hide it behind your back. If he tries to look for it, give it to him and tell him how clever he is. If he’s still unsure, squeak it again so he can guess where it is. This game goes one step on from teaching the idea that things still exist when he can’t see them, as it encourages him to find out where things go when they are out of sight.

Nine months to one year

Many physical skills really start coming together during this period. He may be adept at crawling and could even be starting to walk by now.

“Remember to follow his cues – if he’s struggling with a floor puzzle, give him time to work it out before you jump in, and if he’s building something only to destroy it, don’t get cross – he’s just experimenting,” says Dr Rudkin.

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Building toys By around 11 months, your baby will be able to stack toys, as he’s mastered the skill of letting go accurately as well as holding. A set of stacking cups holds numerous possibilities for this age group – not only can they be stacked but they can also be water toys to play with in the bath, or you can hide little toys underneath each cup and encourage him to find them.

Sand He’ll love making sandcastles and knocking them down. This activity teaches the concept of full and empty as he tips and pours with a bucket and spade or plastic cup. It also helps hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, imagination and creativity.

Physical fun Other things you can do together to teach these skills include: pushing him on the baby swings or helping him practise riding his trike in the garden or park. 

Find out more

• 365 Activities You and Your Baby will Love by Dr Roni Cohen Liederman and Dr Wendy Masi (£7.99, Bonnier Books)
  
  
• Baby Fun by Anne Knecht-Boyer (£6.99, Carroll & Brown)
  
  
• Now read our feature on baby signing