“‘Once she starts talking, she’ll never stop!’

I hate that phrase so much. From birth, babies can ‘ask’ for milk – whatever its source! 

From rooting to crying to eventually patting and signing and talking.

They all communicate their needs waaaay before they start ‘talking.’

And they watch and listen to everything we say and do, constantly exploring with their hands, mouths, and the rest of their bodies and senses. 

There are plenty of ways even newborn infants can communicate.

Whether through eye gaze (even in those early weeks!), a social smile, grimacing or wiggling, or reaching for a desired item, it’s up to us to read their signals!

On this week’s corresponding podcast episode, Communication: The First 6 Months, we used a nice, simple shaker…

With the benefit of repurposing the corks from the wine bottle(s) you recently polished off!

Don't Miss our Corresponding Podcast Episode!

Materials to create your DIY corks-in-a-box shaker

  • A few corks (3-4 or more, depending on the size of your container)
  • A small container, easy for little hands to hold

Instructions to create your DIY corks-in-a-box shaker

  1. Place your corks in the container
  2. Ensure the container is sealed completely
  3. Shake, shake, shake!

Ages

  • From birth, infants can benefit from hearing lots of different kinds of sounds.
  • From 3-4 months, typically babies start to reach and grasp objects
  • Around the age of 6 months, or when a baby starts to babble (putting a consonant and vowel sound together), we often see rhythmic banging/tapping of the arms as well.
  • Regardless of whether your child chooses to mouth, shake, grab, watch you play, or play an instrument herself, she is learning about its properties!
  • For an example of how to use this instrument in musical play, go ahead and have a listen to Episode 9 of the Learn With Less podcast, Communication, The First 6 Months.

This post contains affiliate links. All activities described by Learn With Less assume close and continuous supervision of the child by an adult.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
Skip to content