I Can Do It, TOO!

Skill spotlight

Learning how to put a plush toy in a stroller, how to handle a broom and how to stir with a plastic spoon helps your baby gain a better sense of spatial relations and develops her fine motor skills. Equally important is the opportunity to mimic what the big kids and adults in her world are doing.

At nine months, your baby may already be imitating you by swiping at the floor when you're cleaning or by waving a wooden spoon at a bowl as you cook. Encourage her interest in the adult world by giving her baby-sized versions of adult tools like brooms, mops, toolboxes, toy shopping carts, and strollers. If she's walking, you can show her how to take the stuffed dog for a stroller ride. She may not have great coordinations of what will become pretend-play, a realm that will engage her increasingly in her toddler and preschool years.

Source : Dr Masi, W. S & Dr Leiderman, R. C (2004) Baby Play: 100 Fun-Filled Activities for you & your baby to enjoy, Weldon Owen Publishing Singapore