
Written by Aparna Hari
Babies love to play with all odd items, especially food! Have you seen how babies play with spaghetti or noodles served on their plates? They will lift it, twist and turn and try to detangle the strands with their tiny hands. Spaghetti play for babies is not just for fun for them, it will be so much fun even for parents to see their babies fully engrossed in their spaghetti play activities.
Sensorial play is an important method of effective learning for babies and young children. Sensory play is where your baby uses all five senses to explore or play. Such activities help babies learn and understand more about their bodies, likes, dislikes as well as their environment.
In This Article
Spaghetti play is where your baby gets to play with cooked spaghetti. Yes, the food item -is spaghetti. It is edible, fun, and safe!
In spaghetti play, your baby will explore and play around with spaghetti that is cooked. When you cook spaghetti, it becomes longer, thicker, and more flexible. Your baby can bend, crush or squish the strands and play with them. The strands are slippery and will entwine with the baby’s fingers and hands.
Yes, of course! Babies love to play with long strands of spaghetti. It is fun, messy, and very interesting for babies. Once your baby can sit up and play you can engage them in spaghetti play activities. For smaller babies, if they can hold up their heads well, you can let them explore the colored spaghetti during tummy time, under close supervision.
Playing with the spaghetti strands and trying to hold or lift them will help engage your baby effectively. They will develop many skills and learn a lot too. Since it is edible and has no rough or sharp edges, you don’t have to worry about your baby hurting themselves or putting it into their mouth.
You can introduce spaghetti play to your baby once they are able to sit on their own and can play independently. It may be ideal to wait until 6 months or till your baby has started solids. Babies tend to put everything in their mouth. For this reasons, you may need to wait until your baby is at least 6 months old or even later. Do make sure to monitor your baby when they are playing since spaghetti can cause choking if your baby is not yet used to eating it.
[Read : When Do Babies Sit Up Without Support?]
Spaghetti is a simple and fun play option that can benefit your baby in many ways. Some of the benefits are
Playing with the slippery strands requires a lot of finger strength and control. The more your baby plays with these strands, the more they will use their fingers and hands, thus improving strength. Twisting and turning the spaghetti strands will help improve dexterity and finger grip. Spaghetti play activities are essential for developing fine motor skills in babies.
Your baby will have to spot a strand and pull it up. Since the strands are long and slippery, they will keep slipping out of those tiny hands. The baby will have to pick it up again. This improves hand-eye coordination. As they get better with spaghetti play, they will learn to track a single strand and pull it fully out of the pile.
Doing this activity with another baby or interacting with adults around as they play will help improve social skills. You can ask them what they are doing and encourage communication and language development.
[Read : Social Emotional Developmental Milestones in Infants]
When you use multi-colored strands in spaghetti play, babies have visual stimulation. They like colors and pick the color that attracts them the most. When the strand slips, they will pick up the same strand or another strand of the same color. It helps improve their focus, tracking, and color perception.
To make rainbow spaghetti and give your baby something very colorful, you need the following items:
You can use different plastic pouches or bowls if you want to avoid using plastic. Follow these steps to get your rainbow-colored spaghetti ready in no time:
[Read : When Do Babies Start Seeing Colors?]
Here are some ideas to engage your baby in spaghetti play.
Sensorial play activities like spaghetti play for babies can help babies gain a lot of physical skills and cognitive development at the same time. When they engage all their senses and have fun exploring and understanding a material like spaghetti, the learning is deep and long-lasting. It helps in the overall development of your baby and helps them attain milestones easily.
If you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the colored spaghetti can last up to a week. Ensure you check it every time before giving it to your baby to play with.
Take a plastic bag or a small bowl. Add a drop or two of food coloring in a shade of your choice. Drop a few strands of well-cooked spaghetti in it and give it a good mix.
If you use edible colors and cook the pasta well, it is okay if your baby tastes a few pieces. However, if you are using colored spaghetti that is not fresh or was in storage for a day or two, try your best to prevent your baby from eating it.
Read Also: Bubble Play For Babies – How it Helps in Baby’s Development
Her experience in impactful writing combined with her background in Home Sciences makes Aparna the perfect candidate for content writing in the pregnancy and parenting niche.Read more.
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