They may seem like recycling fodder to you, but the grocery store inserts that come in the newspaper are great fun for babies, who love to look at the bright pictures.
Appropriate for: Newborn to 6 months
Skills developed: Visual
What you'll need: Supermarket flyers from the local paper
Sit with your baby in your lap and look through the pages, pointing out and naming the fruits, vegetables, and other foods pictured. Even though she can't respond yet, tell her which ones you like. Be sure to hold the pages far enough away from her that she can't put them in her mouth
Later, when she's napping, you can cut out a stack of pictures and paste them on a big piece of posterboard or cardboard for her to look at. Or slide them into a photo album or glue them onto construction paper pages to make her a scrapbook.
Crawling is many months away, but playing movement games can ready your little one for forward motion. Remember the fun of sliding down a grassy hillside on a sheet of cardboard? You can use a section cut from a cardboard box to give your newborn the same sense of freedom of movement.
Appropriate for: 6 weeks to 5 months
Skills developed: Motor, spatial awareness
What you'll need: A rectangular piece of thick cardboard (from a shipping carton, moving box, or the like), approximately the size of your baby, or a small blanket
This activity works best on a carpet or rug but can be enjoyed (more carefully) on a linoleum or wood floor. Lay the cardboard or blanket down on the rug or floor and position your baby tummy down on top of it, with his arms out in front of him or to the sides.
Gently slide the cardboard or blanket forward and back, to give him the sensation of crawling forward. Don't pull too quickly or tilt him up too far, which can be startling.
If he's not yet able to hold his head up for this activity, just lay him on his tummy and look into his eyes. In several months, your baby will begin using his arms to propel himself forward, helping him develop the coordination he'll need to crawl.