Create Plastic Egg Maracas

Create your own maracas using plastic eggs. Fill a plastic egg with materials you have on hand, such as rice, paper clips, cotton balls, coins, etc. Use masking tape to securely close the plastic eggs. You don’t want your baby opening the egg, as the small items inside are chokable items. Once you created the maraca. Say, Maraca. This is a maraca. It makes music.” Then model using the maraca. “When I open the maraca and shake it. I hear a sound.” Then place the maraca in your child’s hand and shake it to them. The say, “Your turn. Shake the maraca. Listen to the sounds.” Then describe the sounds to your baby. Extend the learning by turning on music and shake the maraca to the beat of the music.

Pots and Pans Band

Start your own band. Pull out pots, pans, and spoons. Turn the pots upside down. Show your baby how to hit the pot like a drum. Say, “I am holding the spoon in my hand. I am tapping the pot with the spoon. I hear a loud sound. I hear a quiet sound.” Then place the spoon in your baby’s hand and move her arm. “Now it’s your turn. Tap the pot and pans and listen to the sound it makes.” Extend the learning by turning on music and tapping the pots and pans to the beat of the music.

Animal Sounds

Baby’s loving hearing new sounds, especially animal sounds. Sing songs like Old MacDonald, or make animal sounds while reading a book, make animal sounds while playing with puppets or stuffed animals. Try making up additional verses using other animals and their sounds.

Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i oh!
And on that farm he had a pig
Ee i ee i oh!
With an oink oink here,
And an oink oink there

Here an oink, there an oink,
Everywhere an oink oink.
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i oh!

Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i oh!
And on that farm he had some dogs,
Ee i ee i oh!
With a woof-woof here,

And a woof-woof-woof there
Here a woof, there a woof,
Everywhere a woof-woof
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i oh!

Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i oh!
And on that farm he had some cows,
Ee i ee i oh!
With a moo-moo here,
And a moo-moo there
Here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo-ooo
Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i oh!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout. (creep fingers up on each other)
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out. (wiggle fingers as if water coming down)
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain, (raise hands in big circle as if mimicking the sun)
and the itsy bitsy spider crawled up the spout again. (crawl fingers again)