Dr. B (AKA my sister) has a doctorate in school psychology specializing in early childhood development. She is gonna help us figure out what the hell to do with our babies. Especially if you want your child to get into a good nursery school. Cause in NYC that means a good kindergarten which leads to a good elementary school which eventually means they are living pretty off the internet start-up they founded in college and sold to Google. And you know who else is living pretty? YOU. Cause your kid wants to give you a proper 'thank you' for putting your 100% into a game of "Ball Roll" with them as a child. This is not a joke people. Dr. B is the real deal.

 

 

Introduce at: 9-12 months

How to play: Roll a ball to your child and encourage him/her to roll back. Provide assistance at first until she understands the reciprocal interaction and motor movements. Use a ball that makes noise
as it rolls for maximum engagement. Narrate each action with simple language such as "ball," "push," "your turn," and "mom's turn" to develop language and comprehension. Build on the interaction by including another caregiver in a three-way roll. 

Why it's good for the baby: This type of game is good for social development, gross motor development, and language development. Facilitating these types of interactions helps babies learn reciprocal interactions and builds a foundation for back and forth conversations.

I didn't say it was brain surgery, people. But some of us didn't even own a ball until Dr. B got involved.

UPDATED: Mazzy is nine months now and she's been crawling since she was six months so she's incredibly mobile. And QUICK. So it was really hard to get her to stay still to play 'Ball Roll' with me. But after attempting every day for a week, it seems like she's trying to roll it back to me somewhat. Only for a minute or two before she's off again but there is definite progress.  The thing that Games Good Parents Play is teaching me is to keep trying.  Don't give up on a game because you think the baby's not interested.  It takes constant repetition— the baby has to understand before he/she can attempt to participate.

Mazzy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars