Physical
Items required: a variety of baby clothes easily available at the thrift store or from fellow staffers and a clothes basket or storage container.
Gather your participants around the table. Perform your greeting with each individual.
Place the basket on the table. Bring out one piece of unfolded clothing at a time. Give it a verbal label, “This is a cute little jumper” or “These jeans are so cute”. Pass the item around and let each participant have the opportunity to hold it, feel the texture and see the designs. Do this with each item in the basket.
Talk about babies and make personal references to each participant about their own babies, maybe how many children they had or the name of at least one of their children.
After everyone has shared in the touching and smelling, begin the folding process. Give each participant one piece of clothing and ask them to fold it and return it to the basket. Make this a two-part direction. Ask them to fold it first and when that is accomplished, then ask them to return it to the basket.
Cognitive
Items required: baby doll, life size would be best, baby clothes
Present the baby wearing only a diaper. Have each participant hold the baby and feel its various parts. Sit the baby on the table and talk about those parts. Point to a specific body part (fingers) and ask, “What are these beautiful little things?” Encourage an answer but if none are forthcoming, add, “These are fingers. Touch the little fingers”. Again share the baby and ask each participant to hold the baby’s hand and touch its fingers.
Continue in this way with other parts; toes, ears, nose, tummy. Then move on to the clothing. Lay clothing items on the table and share the need, “We need to dress this baby”. “What do we need first?”
Direct participants to find the needed item. Place two items in front of one individual and ask for one of them. “We need socks. Give me the socks.” Try to have one participant place the socks on the baby’s feet. Move on to the pants, the shirt, and the blanket. Encourage each individual to share in the dressing of the baby.
If participants are non-verbal, make your questions answerable by physical means, pointing, reaching, or looking.
