# Ringing the musical mobile

You hang a musical mobile within their reach, and they discover that it makes a sound when they touch it.

To do with your baby between 8 and 12 months. It works on: hearing, cause and effect, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. You'll need: musical mobile.

## What do I need?

- Musical mobile

## How do I do it?

1. **Set up the mobile.** Hang a musical mobile from the wall or a doorframe. Put it at a height your baby can reach while standing or from the floor.
2. **Show them the sound.** Touch the mobile yourself and say “Listen!” with excitement as it plays. Do it a couple of times, so they connect the movement with the sound.
3. **Help them try.** Encourage them with a “Your turn!” Gently take their hand and help them tap the mobile. When it plays, celebrate: “You made it ring!”
4. **Watch them experiment.** Let them touch it on their own as much as they like. Notice how they try things out: tapping harder or softer, using different parts of their hand or tapping several times in a row to hear the rhythm.
5. **Wrap up without rushing.** When they look away or start to fuss, leave it for today. You can play again another day.

### Take care

Hang the mobile securely, with any strings out of their reach, and stay beside them while they play. Afterwards, take it down or move it up out of reach.

## What are they learning?

Every time they touch the mobile and it plays, they discover that their hand is what makes the sound. Seeing their actions get the same result again and again gives them confidence in what they can do. They also practise guiding their hand with their eyes and adjusting how hard they tap.

- **Hearing**: Hears how the sound changes depending on how hard they tap
- **Cause and effect**: Discovers that touching the mobile makes it ring
- **Hand-eye coordination**: Watches the mobile and guides their hand until they reach it
- **Fine motor skills**: Tries tapping with different parts of their hand, harder or softer

## What the research says

- DeCasper AJ, Fifer WP. Of human bonding: newborns prefer their mothers' voices. Science. 1980;208(4448):1174-1176. doi:10.1126/science.7375928 (https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7375928)
- Muir D, Field J. Newborn infants orient to sounds. Child Development. 1979;50(2):431-436. doi:10.2307/1129419 (https://doi.org/10.2307/1129419)
- Rovee CK, Rovee DT. Conjugate reinforcement of infant exploratory behavior. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 1969;8(1):33-39. doi:10.1016/0022-0965(69)90025-3 (https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0965(69)90025-3)
- Waismeyer A, Meltzoff AN. Learning to make things happen: Infants’ observational learning of social and physical causal events. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2017;162:58-71. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.018 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.018)
- von Hofsten C. Eye-hand coordination in the newborn. Developmental Psychology. 1982;18(3):450-461. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.18.3.450 (https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.18.3.450)
- Berthier NE, Carrico RL. Visual information and object size in infant reaching. Infant Behavior and Development. 2010;33(4):555-566. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2010.07.007 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2010.07.007)
- Gerber RJ, Wilks T, Erdie-Lalena C. Developmental milestones: motor development. Pediatrics in Review. 2010;31(7):267-277. doi:10.1542/pir.31-7-267 (https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.31-7-267)
- Rochat P. Object manipulation and exploration in 2- to 5-month-old infants. Developmental Psychology. 1989;25(6):871-884. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.25.6.871 (https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.25.6.871)

Reviewed by Javier Atance Ibar, PhD in Education.

https://papakoala.com/en-gb/activities/ringing-the-musical-mobile/