Games Babies Play

How a Little Fun Can Go a Long Way

By Lyn Mettler

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One of the best ways to help your baby learn is through one of Mom and Baby's most natural instincts: play. "The ability to play is characteristic of humans," says Suzanna Kaplan, an adjunct professor in early childhood at New York University and the mother of two. "I have always considered one of the great joys of parenting the opportunity to play with one's child."

Suzy Rosenblum, a mother of two from Odessa, Fla., has been playing games with her children since day one. "Playing games just seemed the natural thing to do," says Rosenblum. "I knew that my children relied on me for everything besides their basic needs, and sometimes playing games just kept things going, entertained them, and in the back of my mind, I knew they had to be learning."

Play is key, because it allows learning to be fun. "If you start forcing things on them if they're not excited about it, you turn them off from you and also from learning," says Acredolo, also a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis. "Things have to be fun."

And when you're having fun, you'll see great results from your efforts, say the experts. Morey says that moms who consistently come to her class – where games are an integral part of the curriculum – find their children hitting major milestones much ear

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