Homemade Toys for Baby: Make a Pat Mat!

Learning starts from the very beginning, and an infant's brain is always looking for stimulation. If your infant is three to six months old and you're looking for fun play activities, make a pat mat for loads of fun and learning.

You need:

·A zip lock bag. (Gallon size works best!)

·Water

·A few small brightly colored plastic items/toys.

·A plastic tray and some tape.

Here's what you do:

1.Fill the zip lock bag half way with water.

2.Toss the plastic items/toys in.

3.Close it and make sure it's sealed.

4.Lay the pat mat on the tray (any smooth hard surface is fine as long as a parent is holding baby; kitchen table, desk, etc.) and tape the pat mat to the surface.

And play!

Holding baby in your lap, place the tray in front of baby within reach. Allow baby to pat the mat. Your baby will be amazed watching the items float in the water, and amused at the way the items move each time baby touches the pat mat.

Talk to your baby about the activity; the colors of the items/toys, the water, floating, how it feels, and have fun.

Just because your baby is only a few months old doesn't mean that he or she doesn't enjoy a good conversation, and the more parents speak to baby, the easier good language skills will be for baby in the upcoming months of development.

This is an activity that can be done practically any time, anywhere; it's inexpensive, disposal, and fun. Take advantage of the things you can do with baby everyday. In the long run, you'll be glad you did.