Are you looking for ways to expand your baby’s horizon? Check out some great Infant Stem Activities to help with their cognitive skills and grow by leaps and bounds.
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Infant Stem Activities
As a parent one is always looking for engaging in stimulating activities with your infant. Cognitive growth is so important in young children and incorporating STEM activities can be crucial for their development. If you ask any early childhood educator they will tell you sensory and STEM activities are a great way to help young kids grow. That’s why it’s important to include hands-on activities in young ones. When you have a baby you want to be able to give them a leg up to help them in simple ways to grow physically and mentally.
There are so many fun ways as a parent you can engage in stem learning even from a young age. Infants are no different, even though they may feel like they aren’t learning, but Infants are ready to absorb new information all the time. They will absorb so much in the early moments and years from their environments, and love from their caregivers.
Those earliest days, weeks, and months are at the core and giving your infant problem-solving skills and easy stem activities will create a bright future for them. Baby’s have a natural curiosity even though they are little. Sensory activities are a wonderful way to encourage their development and create bonding moments. The first year has so many wonderful moments and it is especially important for bonding time. Introducing fine motor skills is a great way to give your baby a leg up.
What does STEM look like in infants?
The time period of infancy consists from 3 months to 1 year. Between birth to 1 year of age, babies grow and develop at an astounding rate. They learn to smile, roll over, sit up, wave, clap, pick objects up, crawl, babble, and some may even start saying a few words. They learn to bond with and trust their caregivers and they often understand more than they are able to communicate. Babies enjoy music, movement, and simple games like peek-a-boo. By the end of this period, many babies are standing up and walking around holding onto furniture, if not walking completely independently. They’ve also typically tripled their birth weight and grown around 6 to 8 inches by the time they’re a year old.
Introducing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities at this tender age not only stimulates their senses but also lays the foundation for future learning. These activities will help with critical thinking, problem solving and creative thinking through various activities. It’s important to give your little ones early exposure to steam activities through play idea fun and everyday experiences.
Easy Learning during Infancy
Below we’ll explore a variety of engaging and age-appropriate infant STEM activities that not only bring joy to your little one but also contribute to their cognitive and sensory development. They will give them an early head start with hand-eye coordination activities that will get them to their toddler years.
Because STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics there are so many ways to incorporate it into their daily lives from sensory bins to cardboard boxes their is always a fun way for kids of all ages to learn stem. They will be able to learn engineering skills and so much more in basic activities that will carry with them through their lives.
Here are some age-appropriate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities for infants. So head below and check them out!
Age-appropriate STEM activities for infants
Sensory Play:
Create a sensory bag filled with safe, interesting objects like soft fabrics, plastic shapes, or water with floating items.
Make a sensory bin with small items including foam shapes, coffee filters, popsicle sticks and pompoms to help their little young minds gather objects using a sensory experiences.
Let your baby explore various textures using their hands and feet.
Sensory Ice Cube Tray Play : Use an Ice cube tray (preferably one with larger compartments) and freeze baby-safe items consider items with different textures, colors, and shapes)Use soft fabric squares, teething rings, rubber toys, and smooth plastic toys.Put one item in each compartment of the ice cube tray. Arrange them in a way that allows for easy removal.Set up a large, colorful fabric or mat on the floor to create a comfortable and visually appealing play space. Take the ice cube tray out of the freezer and place it within your baby’s reach during tummy time or while sitting.
Allow your infant to explore the sensory ice cubes. The cold sensation, different textures, and the challenge of melting the ice can be intriguing for them.
Pay attention to your baby’s reactions as they touch, grasp, and manipulate the melting ice cubes. This sensory play can stimulate their curiosity. Make sure the items frozen in the ice cubes are safe and age-appropriate.
Learning by Exploring
High-Contrast Images:
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- Babies are drawn to high-contrast patterns and images. Use black and white cards ,pieces of paper, or toys with bold patterns for visual stimulation.
Mirror Play:
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- Place a baby-safe mirror in front of your infant. They will enjoy looking at their reflection and making different facial expressions.
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Tummy Time with Toys:
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- During tummy time, place colorful and safe toys in front of your baby. This helps strengthen their neck and upper body muscles.
Baby-Friendly Science Experiments:
- Explore simple science activities like filling a container with water and letting your baby splash or placing objects in water to observe sinking and floating.
Gentle Exploration of Everyday Objects:
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- Allow your baby to explore safe household items like wooden spoons, soft brushes,plastic cookie cutters or textured fabrics. This helps with tactile stimulation. Grab cardboard boxes and let your little one explore them. Have them walk through them like a tunnel or maybe have them feel them if their smaller. There is much fun to be had with everyday objects!
More Age appropriate STEM activities for infants
Nature Walks:
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- Take your baby on short walks in a stroller or carrier, pointing out different colors, shapes, and textures in the environment. Maybe grabbing leafs, rocks or any other item they may look at, feel or touch.
Block Stacking:
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- Provide soft stacking or wooden blocks for your baby to grasp and explore. This introduces basic engineering concepts. At first they may just look at them or play with them but as they grow they will begin building with them. You can also begin introducing counting by counting blocks. Letting your little ones start hearing the numbers together so the sequence can become familiar for them.
Music and Rhythm:
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- Use simple instruments like shakers or bells to introduce your baby to basic rhythm and sound concepts.
Interactive Story Time:
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- Choose board books with contrasting colors and simple patterns. You can also find a great picture book.Make it even funner by engaging your baby by using different voices and expressions. You can even incorporate puppets to help them visualize characters.
Bath Time Exploration:
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- Use bath time as an opportunity for exploration. Provide safe water toys and containers for pouring water. Even something as simple as plastic cups or other household objects can create some fun. You can get some organic/natural food coloring and put it in the water.
Infant Growth through everyday steam concepts
All these educational activities are going to play a crucial role in your little one’s development. They will help immensely in their cognitive growth. There are so many different items you can find in your home that will help make
Remember to always prioritize safety during these activities. Make sure to adjust the activity based on your baby’s age and developmental stage. Also have fun and enjoy the sensory playtime with your little one! These fun stem activities don’t have to be complicated or hard.
These simple stem activities will be the perfect addition to a fun day with baby.These fun activities will be a great way for your little one to develop a strong foundation in all things sensory, critical thinking and more! These are all great interactive Stem ideas that will help your little one grow.
STEM is simple!
For many people STEM may sound like something scary or complex but STEM learning happens in the simple activities that encompass the everyday life. The set up is inexpensive and you don’t need a lot of things. These are all easy ways to help your little one grow.
The time period called infancy will go by so quickly. When you least realize it they will older kids and this time would have gone so quickly. So embrace this time and make the most of it by giving your little one different ways in which they will explore the world around them. Most important give them the leg up by being able to discover some great science concepts in such an easy way.
Note:
Never leave your infant unattended, and ensure that any objects they interact with are free from small parts that could pose a choking hazard. Pay attention to your baby’s cues and enjoy these moments of discovery together.
