Games to Play With Babies 2
Because of their physical limitations, babies cannot move as they please or play as they would like, and they are picked up and put down somewhere else against their wishes. Everyone around them is bigger and stronger. It is possible to offset the feelings of helplessness and lack of control that they experience constantly, through games that reverse the balance of power. The key point is that the adult acts weak, incapable, clueless or frightened.
Knock-me-over (Düşürmece)
One of the games babies and children love most is knock-me-over. Letting them push you and then pretending to fall over in the face of their strength will make them laugh a great deal, and they will want to play it again and again. When they are given the chance to be strong and to knock adults over, they release their tension through laughter and discharge their feelings of worry and powerlessness.
Tickling
Although babies laugh while being tickled, they actually tense their bodies and make a pushing motion with their hands. Laughing, much like crying, is in fact a sign of stress, and the baby is showing their displeasure at an uninvited assault on their body. They may feel powerless. What they do enjoy is you blowing raspberries on their tummy, nibbling their ears or toes, bumping heads while saying "boom", or grabbing them round the waist saying "I'm going to get you".
Games for Coping With Fears
You can also use games to help children cope with their fears. For example, with a child who is afraid of dogs, you can get down on all fours and start barking during a play session in which they feel calm and safe. You will see them release their tension through laughter and want to play this game over and over again.
About the author
Clinical Psychologist Orlit Linet Haklı — After completing a double major in Psychology and Sociology at Koç University, I graduated from the Clinical Psychology programme at Bahçeşehir University. For three years I worked with the Solidarity Association with Refugees and Migrants, a UNICEF project, conducting individual psychotherapy and group art therapy sessions with refugee children and adolescents. I currently provide parental counselling at a private practice in Kadıköy on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, working with children, adolescents and adults using psychodynamic psychotherapy, play therapy and art therapy.