GOAL:

• Develop your little one’s auditory skills and sense of hearing.  

MATERIALS :

• Radio or any device that plays music
• Different sounds
• Classical music or nature sounds

LEARNING EXPERIENCE:

With this activity your little one will learn to distinguish, identify and locate where different noises are coming from, developing their auditory skills.

Although your little one was able to hear some noises in utero, they sounded distant and muffled. When born, your little one started to become curious about the new sounds around them, which is why exposing your little one to music and a variety of sounds helps them develop their auditory skills.

Before you start, we recommend that you look for music or other suitable sounds to show your little one. You can look for familiar sounds, like the bark of a dog, footsteps, a telephone, nature sounds, children laughing, or others. You can also include unfamiliar or rare sounds for your baby that will not bother him or her.

Now that you’ve prepared the sounds that you would like your little one to listen to, it’s time to start. 

• Lie your little one down on a soft blanket and make sure there won’t be any other noises that will distract him or her.
• Turn on the device and play the sounds you’ve prepared so that your baby can listen. Observe how your child reacts to each one and identify them using simple words. You can say “that’s a dog,” “your mom’s footsteps,” “the doorbell,” etc.
• After listening to familiar and unfamiliar sounds, you can change the activity by adding voices. Start with your voice and that of your partner, and then include the voices of siblings, cousins, and close friends. You can also include voices of people your little one doesn’t know for some variety. 
• Remember that your baby is delicate, so the volume should be low. If you notice that your little one is scared, calm him or her down by making sounds with your mouth and giving your little one gentle, caring hugs.