Jump with me

As mom’s we are well aware of the importance of exercise and how it can help reduce many health-related problems. In the same way that exercise benefits us, it promotes better development for your baby.

Baby activities can be enjoyed in a group situation or one-on-one. Activities done in a class environment and at home throughout the week are beneficial for your little one’s development.

One-on-one exercises allow for those special bonding moments and can also be extremely exciting when done together as a family. If you have more than one child, the following activities can be tailored for your children to enjoy, no matter what age.

Find a nice soft spot for the exercises. Make sure that there are no small objects around that could make its way to into your baby’s mouth.

The below exercise can be tailored for a five month old infant or a more advanced toddler, you will need your voice and a big smile to encourage your little one.

Warm up time
Here is a fun warm up that gets your child moving. For small infants, lay your baby in front of you, with you on your knees, leaning over your baby. For crawlers and standers, have them standing in front of you, with you on your knees holding their torso for support as you sing together.

Song: jump with me (Tune: skip to my lou)

• Jump, jump, jump with me - Adults take child’s legs and gently curl up then down, simulating a jumping movement
• Jumping is fun, you will see
• Jump high – Legs curl up to child’s body
• Jump low – Legs stretched downward
• Jumping, jumping, we will go – move child’s legs in bicycle movement
• Clap, clap, clap with me – Adults gently clap child’s hands
• Clapping is fun you will see
• Clap high – Clap child’s hand above their head
• Clap low – Clap child’s hands over their torso
• Clapping, clapping, we will go – clap child’s hands in front

Benefits

• Simple rhyming songs introduce your child to rhymes, phrases of speech and expose them to new words while building their memory through repetition;
• The leg movements help develop body awareness, which is the sensory awareness of their muscles and joints and how they move, stretch and bend;
• Clapping is an excellent way to develop rhythm and beat.

Unique moves to watch out for are:

• Watching him try and rock his body to a song
• Clapping or attempting to clap on his own
• Trying his own unique leg moves like scissor kicks or grabbing a hold of his toes with his hands

Have fun dancing around the living room with your baby and remember to jump high, jump low – jumping, jumping you all will go.

(Press release, Pampers, July 2009)