Why parents should play this game with their baby every day, according to an expert
Playing games with your baby not only brings them joy but can help with their development 👶
- Playing games with babies can help support their emotional and cognitive growth.
- Set 15 minutes aside each day to play this simple game with your baby.
- Baby brand Nuby and psychologist Dr Eleanor Byrant share four activities that can help your baby’s development.
There’s nothing more enjoyable than making your baby laugh, but did you know that there are simple games you can play that can not only bring them joy but also help support their development?
Baby brand Nuby, has teamed up with psychologist Dr Eleanor Bryant, Associate Professor in Health Behaviour Psychology at the University of Bradford, to find out the best games to support your baby’s emotional and cognitive growth.
Dr Bryant said, “These activities are powerful not because they require perfection but because they invite presence. What matters most is not whether a parent reads with perfect expression or uses special toys but that they’re attuned, engaged, and consistent.
“From a psychological lens, these rituals create a predictable environment that enhances emotional regulation and reinforces parents' sense of agency and connectedness. Small acts of engagement accumulate into a strong developmental foundation.”
What games should you play with your baby?
If you had just 15 extra minutes a day to do one simple thing with your baby to help support their development, Dr Byrant recommends playing peekaboo.
The simple face-to-face game could be crucial for supporting your baby’s social, emotional and cognitive development as it is a serve-and-return interaction which can help improve babies’ social and cognitive outcomes.
Dr Byrant explains, “Simple back-and-forth exchanges between caregiver and baby that stimulate brain pathways for communication and emotional regulation.”
Four games to help babies' emotional and cognitive growth
But it’s not just peekaboo, Dr Bryant has shared four other simple activities you can enjoy with your baby that parents can introduce to their daily routine to support their emotional and cognitive growth.
Shared book reading
This activity helps babies learn how to take turns, read emotional cues and build social understanding. The UK’s Healthy Child Programme highlights these moments as vital for early emotional regulation and communication.
Tummy time
NHS Start for Life recommends regular tummy time from birth (supervised and short at first), as it helps babies develop neck, shoulder and arm strength needed for motor skills like crawling.
Baby massage
Baby massage can help babies sleep better, cry less and feel more settled. It’s also great for bonding. A Cochrane review led by Underdown et al. (2006) found that baby massage helped with sleep, reduced stress and improved parent-baby connection.
Sensory play
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommend sensory play as an important part of early cognitive development,
Sensory play can include touching different textures, looking at bright colours or even listening to music. Sensory play encourages curiosity and builds your baby’s processing skills.
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