Use a night-light or other dim lamp in your baby's room. Change the crib position and your baby's position in it frequently. Hang a mobile outside and above the crib. Provide squeak toys and large rattles. Play games like peek-a-boo. Keep reach-and-touch objects about 8" to 12" away. Walk around the room as you talk to your baby, and alternate right and left sides with feeding.

Allow your baby to explore different textures and shapes with her fingers. Hang objects across the crib to foster eye-and-hand coordination. Provide stuffed animals and play games like patty cake.

Encourage your child to crawl and explore, but don't let him walk too soon. He'll let you know! Floating bath toys are a hit, and other objects with details. Play hide-and-seek with toys, and have older children play in the same room. Your baby will imitate them within the limits of his own development.

Keep encouraging crawling and discourage walking. Crawling is important to develop eye-hand-foot coordination; laterality, the ability to distinguish between left and right; and directionality, the ability to use those concepts in the real environment. Give your baby stacking and take-apart toys, snap-lock beads, etc. Give your baby objects to touch, hold and see at the same time.

Encourage walking. Help your baby play with building blocks, simple puzzles and rolling a ball back and forth. Provide opportunities to climb and explore inside and outside as well as throwing a ball. Try riding toys pushed with the foot to help develop eye-hand-foot coordination.

Read or tell your toddler stories to prepare for learning to read. Provide tools for drawing, painting and coloring, and puzzles or peg hammering toys that teach the sorting of shapes and sizes. Allow time for outdoor activities that include tricycle, climbing, running, balance beam and playground equipment.