1. Pool time! Lather baby up with sunscreen and hit the water! This will help baby learn that the pool isn’t to be feared. A plus for their future swim instructors!

2. READ! Anna loves “Go, Dog, Go”. I read it to her, and then she “reads” it to me. 

3. iPhone applications, like Peek-a-boo barn. There are a few applications that interact with the kids and let them learn what sounds the animal makes. Anna loves Peek-a-boo barn! No iPhone for you? Use a book or a game to play “what sound does the animal make?”

4. Musical cards – hallmark, thank you! This is a great way to learn cause and effect. Anna sits and plays with those greeting cards that play music. Make sure you get one with a tune you can handle.

5. Family walks – outdoor time is great! It is hot, so make sure to dress the baby cooly and keep them as shaded as possible. Anna even lets us put sunglasses on her when the family runs together.

6. Learning opposites – anything to teach open/close and on/off: things like that. Light switches, boxes they can manipulate to “open/close”. Anna can reach the power button on her air purifier. Its not dangerous (no moving parts she can reach) so we let her turn it on and off. 

7. Learning body parts “where is your nose (or ears, toes, fingers, eyes, etc)?” self-awareness as well as learning the vocab is very key at this age.

8. Let them help out – if you are folding laundry, give them the socks. If you are dusting, give baby their own rag. A lot of times they will mimic what you are doing. Its good for them to learn to be with you, copy you, and to learn that everyone pitches in around the house. Anna even helps “unload” the dishwasher. Often, whatever dish she selects ends up in her mouth and in need of another washing, but, she was trying to take things out, like mommy or daddy.