The Baby Club – Episode 16
Playing with Gloves – Parenting Tips
In each episode of The Baby Club we have a ‘What’s in the bag?’ section, and in episode 16 we were playing with gloves. When we were playing with them, you may not have been aware of how much thought had gone into how and why we used them. Also you might be interested to know how they inspired other parts of that specific episode. For that reason and to provide some parenting tips, I have written Nigel’s Baby Club Diaries. Hopefully they will help you see:-
- How important your interactions with very young children are.
- Why they can help with learning.
- Ideas for verbal interactions you can have with your baby.
- That you are not alone in your thoughts.
- That dad’s shouldn’t be embarrassed about getting involved too.
The information you will find here draws on Peeple’s Learning Together Programme. Peeple and the Foundation Years Trust charities were consultants on The Baby Club. As with anything regarding your baby, if you have any queries you should speak to your health visitor. They will be able to provide help and support with questions you may have.

Things you can do with gloves?
During episode 16 we were playing with gloves. You may have seen us tickling each other with gloves, playing peek-a-boo, and counting using gloves. All of these help develop different aspects of your baby’s basic skills, and I will discuss these in a moment. But first I would like to give you a couple more ideas and things to look out for when you are trying this at home. These ideas are good as your baby gets older and you want to develop more complex skills.

- You can sing nursery rhymes or songs that include numbers.
- Use the gloves to demonstrate actions, for example or ‘Pull’ or ‘Wave’. Or to talk about ‘Fingers’ or ‘Hands’. In this instance the gloves are used to focus your baby’s attention to the action or body part that you are talking about.
- If you are playing with different types of gloves, encourage your child to find specific ones. This is a great opportunity to develop language. Simple phrases such as ‘Can you see the Red Gloves?’, ‘Look at the Blue Mittens’, are a good place to start. Don’t worry if your baby isn’t sure, just point to it yourself: ‘Here they are – Here are the Red Gloves!’. It will still help with the learning process. And the more you repeat things like this the more your baby will get involved and understand.
What areas does this activity help with?

Dexterity & Coordination
Moving your fingers to count them and encouraging your baby to copy will start to develop their dexterity. Coordination will also be helped by focusing on actions like waving hello or goodbye. Both areas are challenging for a young child and will increase their awareness of movement and increase muscle tone too.

Numbers and Maths Development
Numbers and maths are a huge part of development even at this young age. But don’t think of it like the maths you know as an adult. At this stage, introducing the different words that are relevant to maths will help provide a solid foundation for later on. Words like ‘Count’ ‘None’, ‘More’, ‘Big’ and ‘Small’ are all very helpful when approaching numeracy.

Language Extension
Most activities are a good opportunity to develop language and understanding. As stated in Numbers and Maths Development, being familiar with certain vocabulary will help further down the line. The activities here are ideal for learning numbers and for learning to count in order. Remember lots of smiles and praise will encourage your baby to join in and help them learn.
Songs and Nursery Rhymes
Songs and nursery rhymes are a huge part of The Baby Club and a fun way for babies and young children to learn. You’ll be surprised how well babies remember information that is delivered in a song. When we were playing with gloves we sang ‘Incy Wincy Spider’. But there are many nursery rhymes and songs that involve numbers or fingers that you could also use. ‘1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive’ and ‘Daddy Finger’ are both good alternatives.
What other objects can I use?
Want to learn more?
If you have found this helpful and want to find out more about supporting your child’s learning, please check out Peeple’s Facebook page. If you’re a practitioner, you can find out about the Peep Learning Together Programme and training on the Peeple website, or email Charlotte on info@peeple.org.uk.
