Playtime & activities

Why skin-to-skin time isn’t just for the hospital

Skin-to-skin time can reduce crying, improve sleep, and boost immunity. Lovevery shares tips on how to make the most of skin-to-skin time with your newborn.

The 10 best ways to grow your newborn baby’s brain

Lovevery’s experts share 10 techniques you can use to protect and grow your infant’s developing brain.

Reach, grasp, mouth, repeat

Learn when your baby should start reaching, grasping, and mouthing objects—practices that build fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

5 fun ways to play with your baby from 4 weeks to 12 weeks old

Your 4- to 12-week old baby is fed, rested, and alert. But how do you play with them? Here are some easy ideas for baby’s first playtimes.

Mouthing and speech development (there’s a connection)

By mouthing objects, your baby builds a solid foundation for speech and sensory development. Find out what is safe for your baby to mouth.

Kicking play helps your baby learn to roll

Kicking play develops crucial motor skills. Learn why your baby kicks and some fun ways to encourage them to practice.

5 fun ways to play with your baby from 4 weeks to 12 weeks old

Your 4- to 12-week old baby is fed, rested, and alert. But how do you play with them? Here are some easy ideas for baby’s first playtimes.

It’s never too early to teach your baby maths

Understanding math concepts at a young age can be a predictor of school success later on. Introduce your baby to math with these simple ideas from Lovevery.

Fresh ideas with water and ice

Water and ice teach your baby that some things stay the same, while others transform. Here are some fun ideas for water and ice play.

What Montessori families put in “treasure baskets” for their babies

What is a Montessori Treasure Basket and what do I put in it? Lovevery provides a list of household and outdoor items that your baby can play with.

Household objects your baby will love to play with

Dedicating a drawer or cabinet for your baby to play in can become their new favorite activity. Fill your baby’s new space with these safe household objects.

Why tubes and containers are so essential to your baby

Your baby is starting to understand that objects fall through a tube, but stay put in a container. Learn how the Lovevery Clear Tube reinforces this real-world concept.

Sometimes the best toys are not toys at all

Sometimes an everyday object can delight and engage your baby just as much as a toy. Learn how to introduce your baby to the playthings already in your home.

How to get all the playtime that your toys have to give

Babies’ interests evolve, but you don’t always need to buy new toys in order to keep up. Lovevery shares new ways to play with familiar favorites.

Self-feeding develops your baby’s fine motor skills

Your baby is learning to use a pincer grasp to pick up objects. Learn why puff snacks can be your baby’s favorite (safe) way to practice their new motor skills.

Air—your invisible playmate

You can help your toddler understand natural sequences related to airflow by fanning them, blowing across the top of a bottle, blowing bubbles, and more.

Sensory play (and why letting your baby get messy is important)

Keeping your baby clean matters to most parents, but getting messy can teach important skills. Here are some fun ideas for messy sensory play.

5 ways for your toddler to (safely) play with small objects

With a few simple supplies, you can create fun DIY activities that help your toddler safely enjoy the benefits of playing with small objects.

Your toddler’s on top of the world when they make you laugh

A toddler’s budding sense of humor is a sign of their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Learn five ways to help nurture your child’s funny bone.

4 early gravity lessons

They drop it, you pick it up, they drop it again. There is nothing toddlers love more than playing with gravity. Here are four experiments to try.

Art, science, and fine motor: water play checks all the boxes

Water play helps toddlers create art, learn science, and develop fine motor skills. Here are 10 water play activities you can do with your toddler.

Collecting and transporting

Walking while carrying or pushing an object requires significant coordination and motor skills. Learn how pushing and transporting benefit your toddler.

Throwing and rolling and flinging, oh my! How to support your baby’s love of making balls move

Throwing, rolling, and flinging are all a natural part of how toddlers play and are early lessons in cause and effect. Here are 6 safe ways to practice.

16 ideas for screen-free play, by Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph

If you dread toddler travel, the first step toward a less stressful experience might be to reframe how you think about it. Here are 16 ideas to get you started.

The case for messy sensory play: ideas for right now

In order for any of your child’s individal senses to give them meaningful information about the world, they need to be linked in the brain—this is the case for getting messy.

Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere

Giving your toddler opportunities to help with household tasks makes them feel independent and valuable. Try these ways to encourage your child to participate.

Picture book project! 🌈 Preserving your toddler’s first words

This DIY project captures your child’s first words and builds their vocabulary as their language develops.

The earlier, the better: maths is already developing in your toddler’s brain

Neuroscientist Gillian Starkey shares tips for introducing your toddler to math and why it’s beneficial to start now.

5 ways to play the pom pom way

Pom poms are a fun way for your toddler to develop their fine motor skills. Here are some ideas for playin with pom poms at home or on the go.

Don’t buy that gorgeous wooden play kitchen just yet, by Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph

Consider these fun and safe ways to include your toddler in your real kitchen before you buy a new toy kitchen.

Ice, ice, baby—try these easy science activities

Sensory exploration of colors, shapes, and textures with your child doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few simple science activities for toddlers.

4 funky ways to make music a part of your toddler’s life

Music is a great way for toddlers to express creativity. Lovevery provides 4 fresh ways to make music a part of your child’s life.

Is squashing bugs OK? 5 environmental lessons your toddler can learn now

Children react in various ways when they encounter bugs, but what should they do? Here are 5 environmental lessons your toddler can learn now.

DIY spice paints, nature soup, and more ways to explore smell

Many sensory activities focus on texture, temperature and other tactile properties. Try these ways to incorporate smell into your two-year-old’s sensory play.

Try a sound walk (and these 5 other activities) to boost your child’s language skills

Your two-year-old is likely starting to demonstrate more awareness of environmental sounds. Here’s how you can help them tune into sound.

Obsessed with colour-matching right now? Try these activities

Here are some ways to practice color-matching, using The Lovevery Drop and Match Dot Catcher and household craft supplies.

Setting your child up to wash their hands on their own

Washing their hands is an important and practical skill for your child. Here’s how to break it down into manageable steps.

Why wooden blocks are actually the best STEM toy

Why are blocks so foundational to childhood? Block play supports language development, STEM concepts, visual spatial skills, and more.

Here’s how your 2-year-old can keep playing with their baby and 1-year-old playthings

Lovevery Playthings take on new meaning as your child grows. Reintroduce a beloved toy from a past Kit, and your two-year-old will find new ways to play.

4 fun sensory activities that build neural pathways

Sensory activities engage the body and mind in a way that builds critical neural pathways. Here are some sensory activities with varying levels of messiness.

Why laundry time is learning time

Keeping toddlers engaged while doing chores can be a challenge. Here are some fun and fresh ways you can get your toddler involved with laundry.

Let’s get gluing—DIY activities with developmental benefits that stick

Using glue to stick items together may not sound like cognitive development, but it is. Try these activities with your toddler to practice.

7 games to help your child master matching

Somewhere around 30 months, your child may be able to match identical or similar pictures of objects. Practice matching with these activity ideas.

These 4 DIYs prove pom poms are magic

Pom poms are a fun way to help develop fine motor skills and dexterity, and a great addition to sensory play. Try these quick and easy activities with your child.

Tape roadways, color tag, and other fun ways to get the energy out

When you can’t get to the park, these activities involve minimal materials and prep, and support large body movements to help your child get their energy out.

6 ideas for dramatic play

As children approach age 3, they engage more in symbolic play: using objects to stand in for others. Here are 6 ideas for dramatic play with your two-year-old.

This everyday item is a powerhouse for pretend play

Cardboard is inexpensive, plentiful, and just right for a two-year-old getting into new kinds of pretend play. Here are 4 cardboard activities for your two-year-old.

Are we there yet? 10 no-materials games for car rides

Traveling with children can be challenging. Here are some ideas for the car that require no materials or tech and can be played by both driver and passengers.

6 math concepts you can practice at home (no textbook needed)

Here are some early childhood math activities for your two-year-old that make the most of playtime and their normal routine.