Games for Skill Building at Ten Months

Your baby is mobile. She is aware of her surroundings. She has learned what is familiar-her family, her home and her toys. She also knows what is unfamiliar-a stranger, a sudden siren or a loud bark.

Your baby may be afraid of strangers. This is normal. It is called "stranger anxiety." This fear begins when your baby notices the differences among people. This is a big step in development. It means your baby is learning about her world and the people in it.

Children learn skills as they grow. These skills happen by certain ages. A child learns skills at her own pace. You can see how your baby is doing. Watch when she starts to crawl, walk, talk and feed herself.

Have fun helping your baby develop these skills.

Physical skills: Your baby loves to imitate you. Get on the floor and crawl with your baby. Play "Follow the Leader." Sit on the floor with her and let her copy your emotions. For example, bang on an empty box with a wooden spoon. Give the spoon to your baby and help her to bang too.

Emotional skills: Help your baby feel pride in what she does. Talk to her all through the day. Tell her she is growing strong. Tell her she is smart or kind. For example, Alma crawls toward the telephone when she hears it ring. Say, "Wow, you know that the phone is ringing. You go right to it."

Intellectual skills: Help your baby learn about sizes. Give her two or three empty boxes. Talk about the biggest, smallest, tallest, widest, longest and shortest box.

Social skills: Show your baby how to touch gently. When she grabs your hair, for example, say in a calm voice, "That hurts me. Hold your hand like this and pat Mommy's hair gently." While you say the words, hold your baby's hand open. Hold it while you slowly pat and smooth your head.

Language skills: Play lots of echo games. Call out sounds like la, la, la or ba, ba, ba. Encourage your baby to repeat the sounds. If she makes sounds, echo her. This will get her ready for saying real words.