Touch your index finger to your right thumb, then swap back and forth to turn your hands into spiders: 'The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.' Now make your fingers into falling rain: 'Down came the rain and washed the spider out.' Sweep your hands and arms up into a sun shape: 'Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.' Now back to spider fingers: 'And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.'

This game teaches object permanence, the concept that things don't vanish when out of sight. You can also play peekaboo with your baby using toys by hiding them under a cloth and then revealing them with a flourish. Cover your face (use your hands or a cloth diaper), and ask, 'Where's Mommy?' She'll probably reward you with a gummy grin (or giggle) when you reveal your face and exclaim, 'Peekaboo!' Then repeat, repeat, repeat. This game is the foundation of hide-and-seek and peekaboo - and it helps build a baby's auditory and visual tracking skills. She may not be able to fully turn her head toward your position, but she can hear differences in your voice’s sound as you move. Put her in a baby carrier and then walk around the room while talking or singing, or making a variety of funny noises. And learning to locate the source of a sound when it's farther away is excellent fun.

Can you hear me now? Your baby loves the sound of human voices (especially yours!).

Your baby’s still very young, but as her sight develops and her ability to engage with you improves, you’ll find she’s thrilled to “play” the following games over and over. From finger games to clapping rhymes, here are the best games to play with your baby.

Clapping games my mother baker