Touch and Feel

© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.

Babies love to reach, grab, and touch everything.

• Books and toys with mirrors and different textures (soft, smooth, scratchy, bumpy) are great for letting your baby explore her sense of touch. 
• They also give you opportunities to talk about what she’s touching, for example: On this page, the cat’s tongue is a piece of sandpaper. It feels very rough, just like a cat’s tongue feels rough.

If you are outside, rub your child's hand gently over the pavement or another rough surface so she can feel the textures in her environment as you read. 

• Share touch-and-feel books such as Peekaboo Kisses by Barney Saltzberg or the many variations of Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt. You can find these at a library or discount book store.
• Make your own homemade touch-and-feel book with fabric scraps and other textured materials.