Babbling is becoming more varied—your baby is practicing the sounds they'll need for their first words.
These activities encourage consonant-vowel babbling, build listening comprehension, and support the oral motor development that underlies clear speech.
Mirror play is magic right now. Your baby loves looking at faces—especially their own. Prop a baby-safe mirror at tummy time for extra engagement.
Babbling is starting! When your baby coos, respond as if you're having a real conversation. This turn-taking teaches the rhythm of communication.
Rolling is on the horizon. Give plenty of floor time on a firm surface—a play mat, not a bouncer—to encourage those first rolls.
Fill a basket with safe textured objects and narrate what baby touches — smooth, bumpy, soft, crinkly — pairing sensory exploration with descriptive words.
Use soft rattles and your voice from different positions to encourage your baby to turn toward sounds — a foundational skill for language development.
Introduce simple signs for 'more,' 'all done,' and 'eat' during meals — giving your baby a way to communicate before words come along.
Snuggle up with a high-contrast board book and narrate the pictures using an animated voice — building your newborn's love of stories from day one.
Point to pictures in a sturdy board book and name them with enthusiasm — building your baby's vocabulary long before they can say the words themselves.
Play peek-a-boo with favorite toys, naming each one as it appears — combining the thrill of surprise with vocabulary building.