The Importance of Play During Infancy: Tips for Parents

When you think of infants, you probably picture a cycle of eating, sleeping, and snuggling—but did you know that play is just as essential?

Parents can sometimes brush aside playing with their infants simply because babies do not show their understanding and enjoyment the same way older children do. But, being playful with your infant is important for their development. Play at this stage should focus on exploration, sensory experiences, social interactions, and bonding with caregivers.

Why Play Matters for Infants

Babies are naturally curious and eager to explore their surroundings. They’re drawn to colorful objects, interesting sounds, and different textures.

Play gives them opportunities to:

• Engage their senses

• Discover cause and effect

• Develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills

• Build social and language skills

The best part? Play doesn’t have to be complicated!

How can I help my baby learn through play?

Since the primary goal of play in infancy is to provide opportunities for exploration, sensory stimulation, and social interaction - do your best to keep playtime fun!

Babies will naturally show what interests them—your role is to provide the opportunities!

Here are some tips for providing fun, interactive play for your baby:

Engage in early "people games"

• Get on your baby’s level and interact through simple, playful activities.

• Try peek-a-boo, tickling, singing nursery rhymes, or making funny faces.

• These interactions support language, motor, and social-emotional development.
  

Choose age-appropriate toys

• Look for safe, colorful, and stimulating toys.

• Opt for different textures, sounds, and shapes to encourage sensory exploration.

• Examples: Soft rattles, fabric books, or crinkle toys.
  

Read to your baby

• Babies love bright colors, simple pictures, and repetitive rhymes.

• Even if they don’t understand words yet, reading builds language skills and creates bonding moments.

Related Read: Choosing Books for Infants & Toddlers

Provide opportunities for exploration

• Let your baby touch different textures (e.g., soft blankets, wooden blocks).

• Supervised play with safe household objects can be just as fun as toys!

• When possible, take them outside to feel grass, hear birds, and see new sights.
  

Try mirror play

• Babies are fascinated by faces—especially their own!

• Use a baby-safe mirror to encourage self-awareness and social interaction.
  

Encourage movement

• Tummy time, reaching, grasping, and crawling all strengthen muscles.

• Provide safe spaces for free movement and exploration.
  

Rotate toys

• Introduce new toys periodically to keep things fresh.

• Rotating toys also helps in preventing overstimulation and keeps the baby engaged.
  

And possibly the biggest tip of all... limit your baby's screen time

Avoid exposing infants to screens (TV, smartphones, tablets) as much as possible. Read more about how screen time can interfere with bonding, language development, and sleep patterns.

Play = Connection & Joy

Infants don’t need fancy toys or screens—they find the most joy in social interactions with caregivers. Smiles, laughter, and excited coos are their way of saying, “I love this!”

By following your baby’s cues and making playtime interactive, sensory-rich, and fun, you’re laying the foundation for lifelong learning and development.