Come Play with Me

Now that baby is growing older, it's not enough that I just tickle her feet and kiss her tummy. Playtime with mommy means starting to teach her shapes, sounds, letters, numbers, etc. And, this is still the easy part...can you imagine when I have to teach her chemistry, history and biology? Oh dear! Maybe my hubby can do that...

That's why sometimes I feel that playgroups are very helpful nowadays. It's not that I'm lazy (okay that too) but sometimes I feel that structured learning could be good for my daughter. Besides, I think these facilitators are better with their nursery rhymes and singing. Plus I'm gonna be busy at work real soon (found another excuse). My friend is recommending Block-A-Lot and she was kind enough to organize a free trial session for baby.

There are moms who question if this is the really the best for children. Taking baby to school when they are only a year old could create pressure. It would be very important to attend these classes (especially if you plan to let your baby go with your nanny) to see how the facilitator "teaches" the babies. I still prefer that my daughter is given some freedom when playing. My baby has always learned things on her own (one day she just crawled towards her walker and started walking and no one taught her that) and so I would like her to be independent and creative as she is now. But, I would definitely be happy for her to learn new things...

For full-time moms who have the time (and patience) to play with their children, I think the best learning environment is still at home. And since playgroup sessions are not exactly cheap, why not just get baby educational toys she can play with at home?

1. Blocks
According to the Block Play, children learn through block play as they learn cause and effect, develop problem solving techniques, form creative and critical thinking skills, and a whole lot more. My daughter loves her Fisher Price Little People. I got her one with a cute birthday cake a few months before her birthday. You could also buy Mega Blok which sells Dora, Disney, Cars, Winnie the Pooh blocks. Just make sure you get the one appropriate for baby's age so you don't need to call 911 because she choked on the small pieces.


2. Shape Sorters
My daughter also loves playing with her shapes. Unfortunately, she doesn't like putting them in their respective holes. She just loves throwing them around the living room. I got her a bucket of shapes from Fisher Price and because the lid with the holes is detachable, she just puts the shapes in the bucket and not the holes. Maybe I should get her a different kind.


3. Stackable Toys
Babies just love putting things on top of each other. My daughter plays with her Playskool stackable rings. I admit I got this for her because the giraffes look cute. If she becomes good at this, she I could bring her to the carnival one day and she can win the big stuffed toys or better yet become the next female basketball VIP player...


4. Balls
Playing with balls encourage baby to move around. Good for babies who don't know how to crawl yet. But beware, when they're a bit older, they will start throwing them at you so get a helmet for yourself too! My friend bought my daughter the Busy Ball Popper by Playskool and boy was she entertained not only with the balls but with the music!


5. Pull-Along Toys
If baby knows how to walk already, it would be good to get her a pull-along toy, I bought her a Vtech telephone which she can pull too but the string was too short so she doesn't really pull it. Good thing a friend bought her a wooden snail that crawls with her while she walks. Sometimes, these simple wooden toys are the best ones to get...