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Now that your three-month-old, it is time to introduce them to learning activities for a 3-month-old baby. This is the stage where the baby begins to develop her play, sensory stimulation, along with experiencing changes in her sleeping and feeding patterns. It will help if you try to understand their likes and dislikes. You have to be careful with every step that you might come across. If you are not aware of what activities will help them, we have covered them here. Check the list of activities that are guaranteed to help your little one develop strength and grow healthily.
Key Pointers
- At three months, babies learn to hold toys and other items. Encourage them by placing items in their grasp or putting a mirror in front of them.
- Baby’s senses, including vision and hearing, develop in the third month. Parents can enhance their senses by showing them bright colors and playing music.
- Promote your baby’s communication skills by conversing with them, repeating their sounds, and narrating stories.
- Introduce daily routines for feeding, playing, and sleeping to help your baby feel secure and comfortable.
- Take your baby for a walk and describe what you see, exposing them to new things in their environment.
3 Month Old Baby Development Activities
Your baby can now hold up her head steadily and hold herself easily at 45 degree while on her tummy time. You can try holding her on her feet and put her in different positions. Play all the fun activities for 3 month old baby that will help her muscles gain strength.
1. Your Baby Has Now Discovered Her Hands:
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She has discovered she has hands that can be used for so many things. Here is what she tries doing with her hands:
- You can see her having fun with her fingers.
- Put the fingers in her mouth to suck them.
- Bring both hands together and clasp.
- She will soon start touching objects and hold things only if you put them in her grasp. She won’t be able to reach out for objects so soon.
- She will realize she can make noise with them. This is when she starts understanding the relationship between cause and effect, strengthening her cognitive skills. This usually comes a little later.
- You can place a mirror in front of her and give her a prop.
- She will keep looking at her own reflection.
- You can see her smiling back at her reflection. Mirror play generally appears at around six months of age.
Do remember2. Your Baby’s Senses Are Developing:
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Your baby’s vision and hearing abilities are developing at this sensorimotor stage. Make an observation of the following developments in her:
- She can now turn her head and smile hearing your voice.
- She will enjoy listening to music.
- She will love gazing at bright color toys.
- Faces of the 3 months old are absolutely fascinating.
- She will keep gazing at her own reflection in a crib mirror.
As you notice your baby’s senses blossoming, engaging in activities that stimulate these senses is key to their growth and development. Rachel Johnson, a mother and musician, talks about how music influenced her son. She started exposing him to her flute playing at just two months of age. She writes, “I was preparing for my first recital after having him (Oliver, her son) and he woke up when I started to play so I bounced him on my lap while I practiced the Lennox Berkeley Sonatina” She later adds, “All this music round the house must be good for the baby’s development – Oliver’s first sounds were very tonal, and he now has a fine repertoire of nursery rhymes (i).”
3. Communication Skills Of Your Baby Develops At This Stage:
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This is one interesting activities to do with 3 month old baby. She has now started to relate to the world around her. Here is how your baby communicates now:
- She now gives smiles and smiling is a pleasure for her.
- Crying is no more her primary way of communicating. The baby will still primarily cry when hungry or sleepy.
- A 3 months old baby does not cry more than an hour a day.
- You need to visit a doctor in case her crying exceeds the normal limits.
- She is now making vowel sounds like “ah” “oh” and coos rather than crying.
- You can now engage her in socialization and narrate stories.
- She will start making sounds and make her own gestures.
Quick tipHelp Your Darling During Development Stage
You need to keep in mind each baby is unique in her own way. You should not force your baby if you find developmental delays. If you are in doubt, have a talk with your doctor and raise your concerns. Here is what you can do:
- Follow a development tracker to check the milestones she has attained. There are online checkers available for your convenience. Remember, if the baby is preterm, developmental milestones may be expected to develop a little later than term babies. It is always better to ask your doctor if there are any concerns about development of your baby.
- Organize your to-do list. This way you can know what you need to do.
- Look for the medical concerns for babies of this age.
- Spend time with your baby to enhance the eternal bonding and look at things around you from a completely different perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What can I teach my baby at three months?
- At three months, your baby starts responding to your voice by coos and gurgles. You may encourage them to keep talking, so it helps them learn the language and hold a conversation.
- Introduce shapes and colors through colorful toys of different textures and shapes.
- Hold a toy away from your baby and encourage them to reach out for it. This will help them learn how to grab and hold an object.
- Teach babies to develop daily feeding, playing, and sleeping routines. This will help them follow an order and feel safe and secure.
- Go for a walk outside with your baby and describe what you see. This will help them get accustomed to various new things around (1) (2) (3).
2. How do I entertain my three-month-old baby?
You may entertain your three-month-old baby by (3):
- Singing a favorite tune
- Tickling lightly
- Gently massaging their toes and feet
- Reading books in a calming tone
- Pretending to hide a toy and find it again
- Playing soothing music or lullabies
3. How can I stimulate my baby’s brain development?
You may stimulate your baby’s brain development by (4):
- Providing nurturing and positive environment at home
- Responding in a warm and loving tone
- Encouraging fun activities, such as reading, singing, and talking
- Playing games, such as peek-a-boo
- Making eye contact and smiling
- Breastfeeding for at least six months
- Letting them interact with different people
- Helping them explore the environment outside and inside the house
- Getting their health checkups regularly
- Not giving them screen time
You may introduce age-appropriate learning activities for 3-month-old babies since it is time they begin to play. It is also when babies recognize their hands, develop senses, and try to hold up their heads. You may try activities such as keeping them in front of a mirror, clasping hands, and movement of hands, and feet, which help strengthen their muscles or enhance motor skills. Interaction with them and responding to the noise they make can be fun at this age and form the basics of communication or language skills.
Illustration: Learning Activities For 3 Month Old Baby
Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team
Check out this video for 10 fun activities to do with your 0-3 month old baby! From tummy time to singing songs, you’ll find something to keep your little one entertained.
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. Flutes & babies part 2: flute playing with a newborn.https://racheljohnsonmusic.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/flutes-babies-part-2-flute-playing-with-a-newborn/
References
- Learning Play and Your 1- to 3-Month-Old.
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/learn13m.html - 3-4 months: baby development.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/development/development-tracker-3-12-months/3-4-months - Every Day I Learn Through Play!
https://www.gov.nl.ca/education/files/earlychildhood_everyday_i_learn_through_play.pdf - Your baby’s brain: How parents can support healthy development.
https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/pregnancy-and-babies/your_babys_brain
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