The Power of Parenting

Tuesday, 01 September 2020

Tactile Treasures

Encourage your baby to explore different textures using his sense of touch. Many board books for babies have textured pages, but you can create a collection of household materials so you and your baby spend some time together enjoying the way different things feel!

It is important to monitor this activity at all times, to protect your baby from putting these materials in his mouth.

 

You will need:
  • Different pieces of fabric, such as: silk, terry cloth, corduroy, fake fur, a feather, cotton balls, corrugated cardboard.

 

Enjoy this more with Comfort, Play & Teach™:

Comfort:

  • Gently stroke your baby’s skin using the different textured fabrics, or tickle her tummy or toes with a feather. She will discover which sensations she prefers while she engages in this activity with you.
  • Cover your head with the different pieces of fabric. Encourage your baby to pull them off and then say, “Peek-a-boo” when she sees your face. Describe what you were hiding under (i.e. the bumpy corduroy), and then play the game again!

 

Play:

  • Create a texture mat, with squares of different materials (i.e. fine grain sandpaper, mac tac, cloth). Holding your baby in standing position, she can explore the sensation of the materials as she stamps her feet and bounces!
  • Tie a strip of fabric around your neck so the ends dangle in front of you. This will encourage your baby to reach toward you and touch the fabric as he grasps at it. Say, “Look! You caught the soft handkerchief!”

 

Teach:

  • By touching different materials your baby will begin to notice the difference between textures like bumpy and smooth, soft and rough. Use these words as you describe what your baby is touching.
  • If you punch two holes into a small box and line the box with different textured fabrics, you can show your baby how to poke her finger into the hole to touch it. She will learn to do this activity as she copies and plays with you.