How Scarves Make Babies Smart!

Scarves are the Ultimate Multi-Sensory Toy! 

When moving with scarves and music the visual sense is stimulated by the bright colors, (babies love to track with thier eyes), the auditory sense is stimulated by listening to the music, and the sense of touch is also stimulated by the feel of the silky material on our skin. And this all happens at the same time.

In all my classes we love to play with scarves, it is a favorite activity! It is so much fun, we move expressively, play peek-a-boo and dress up with them. But did you know that playing with scarves helps your children's brains to develop ?

The best toys for babies are often common household items.
There are many activities you can do with babies using a silk scarf or a scrap of fabric.

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, good toys for young children are ones that "match their stages of development and emerging abilities."  Infants do well with toys that help them develop motor skills (pushing and pulling, lifting and dropping, reaching and crawling), learn language, and find out about the world they live in.

Therefore, the best toys for babies are simple, uncomplicated ones that assist them in gaining all these seemingly small but important skills. There is no need to buy a bunch of expensive "educational" toys for this purpose. Many fun, engaging, and educational activities can be done with common items already in the house - like a simple swatch of fabric or a scarf.

Suggested Fabric Play Materials

• silk scarves
• fabric remnants
• cardboard boxes (cereal boxes, shoeboxes, etc.)
• ribbon or yarn

Learn Object Permanence
The idea that objects still exist even when they can no longer be seen is called object permanence.  It is essential to baby's developing cognitive skills since only after baby can imagine an unseen object, can she remember, reason, and plan.  You can help baby develop object permanence by playing peek-a-boo with a silk scarf.

Alternatively, the peek-a-boo game can be played with a small toy. First, show baby the toy. While baby is watching, place fabric over the toy. Say, "Where's the toy? Can you find the toy?" If baby does not reach for the fabric, uncover the toy yourself while excitedly saying, "We found it!"

Practice Gross Motor Skills
Pulling and pushing toys helps baby develop balance, whether she is standing, sitting, or lying on her stomach. To create a pull toy, tie 10 scarves or pieces of fabric together into a long strand. Stuff the strand into a box. Close the lid, but leave a bit of fabric sticking out. Encourage baby to pull on the fabric and watch the strand get longer and longer until the entire strand is out of the box. 1

Fun with Scarves!

Here is a list of versatile ideas for using scarves:

• Play Peek-A-Boo! (of course!)
• Scarf Parachute - Make a scarf toy parachute.
• Scarf Knapsack - Make a knapsack to carry your stuff by tying all four corners of the scarf together.
• Scarf Blindfold - Use a scarf as a blindfold and play "Blind Man's Bluff."
• Scarf Blankie - Use the scarf as a comforting "blankie" at home or on the road.
• Knot Scarves - Practice tying simple knots in a scarves.
• Static Scarves - Use a scarf to experiment with static electricity following these directions.
• Scarf Games - Use a scarf in place of a ball or beanbag for indoor games. It slows down the action and makes many games easy, safe, and fun for little ones. You can also use it to gently "tag" people in various games like "Tag- You're It" and "Tag Football."

Here's an idea: one person runs around with a scarf tied to their ankle, and the other person tries to step on the end of it. Play Tug-of-War with a scarf.

• Make a Scarf Puppet - Simply drape a scarf over one hand to create an imaginary puppet. Or make a Scarf Marionette!
• Scarf Dress-Up - Use scarves on the head (as a bandana, headband, turban, or ponytail holder), as a belt or sash around the waist, as a shawl, or over one eye (as a pirate). Use a scarf as a mask (like a bandit), or tuck one end in the back of pants to make a "tail." Pretend scarves are jewelry - and make a bracelet or necklace. Use scarves as a bandage or sling. Scarves make great capes allowing imagination to take flight!

Note: To be safe, never tie a scarf around a young child's neck. Use safety pins to fasten scarves to clothing.

• Scarf Flag - Use a scarf as a flag or to wave goodbye to someone.
• Scarf Rope - Tie a bunch of scarves together to make a scarf rope.
• Scarf Leash - Tie a stuffed animal to a scarf and drag it along the floor.
• Scarf Pendulum - Tie different size toys to the end of a scarf , then slowly and gently swing it back and forth. Observe how the motion changes with each toy.
• Scarf Pulley - Place the scarf over a doorknob, tie objects to each end, use it to create a pulley.
• Scarf Forts - Use scarves to create walls for forts made with furniture or blocks. Juggling with Scarves - Preschool-age children can develop pre-juggling skills that help to improve concentration, eye-hand coordination, tracking (a pre-reading skill), fine motor skills, and they get a cardio-vascular work-out too. Start by learning to toss and catch one scarf. Then, as coordination develops (which may take a long time) progress to 2 and 3 scarves. Click here to watch a pictorial demonstration. You'll also want to check out this list of fun things to do as you juggle one or two scarves.
• Scarf Paint Brush - Use a scarf dipped in washable paint to make artistic patterns on paper.
• Scarf Vision - Hold a scarf up to the light and see how things look through it.
• Make a Scarf Kite - Use these directions to make one just like Ben Franklin used!
• Scarf Toy Trampoline - Have 2 or more people hold the corners of a scarf and bounce a toy up and down in the middle of it, like a trampoline. 2

A fun activity for your toddler
Dancing with your toddler is fun, and adding scarves to the mix brings the entertainment to a whole new level. This game will be a hit with your 15-month-old, who's in a "milestone period" - a time of very rapid development - and is particularly interested in moving in new and different ways.  This is great for 15 month olds, but older and younger kids will enjoy it, too! 


Children learn to develop gross motor skills, rhythm, color identification, social play, and language while having a great time!

What you'll need: A variety of music and several scarves. But save your long winter scarves for bundling up; light, fashion scarves work best (your local thrift shop might be a good source if you don't have any). You can also use handkerchiefs, cloth napkins, or bandanas.

Clear some space, turn on the music, and join your toddler on the floor. Drop the scarves at her feet, keeping one or two for yourself. As your child watches, make your scarf "dance" in time to the music. She might just observe for a while, or she may join right in by shaking her own scarf.

As you dance your scarves, try playing peekaboo in time to the music. Place a scarf over your head and let her grab it. Or drape one on her head and let her pull it off.

Switch out the music so that you can try different tempos. Float your scarves gracefully for slow music and jiggle them jauntily for quicker music. Work on colors by saying, "Do you want a turn with the blue one?" or "Is Mommy under this pink scarf?"

Finally, try a little teamwork by having her hold one end of the scarf while you hold the other, and dance in place or around the room. You can also hold her in your arms while you dance with a big scarf, swirling it back and forth around the two of you.

When you're done, encourage your child to help you put the scarves in a bag. And keep the bag in a handy place (but not one where your toddler can get to it); as your child continues her rapid growth, she'll enjoy playing this game again and again, and she'll find all kinds of inventive ways to dance with the scarves.


Note: Scarves and other long, string-like objects pose a strangulation hazard, so make sure to watch your child carefully and never leave her alone with them.

Couple of Kindermusik Ideas for playing with scarves:

• Lap Baby: Adult can lie baby in her lap or outstretched legs and move scarf around baby's body.
• Crawler: Adult crawls or sits with baby and explores different ways to move the scarf with the music.
• Walker: While baby holds the scarf, adult helps him move it to the music. Suggest that the scarf hide behind the back during the silence. Some babies may move independently with their own scarves. Encourage adults to continue moving also.

What is your favorite way to play with scarves?  Leave a comment or tweet @Angelmusik!

1 http://ping.fm/QrNd1 Baby Games to Play with a Silk Scarf: Simple Developmental Activities for Infants Jul 24, 2009 Nicole Fravel
2 http://ping.fm/H6clo Newborn Workout and Exercise Program Fun with Scarves! By Diane Flynn Keith, on January 8th, 2009
3 http://ping.fm/LGPvW Let's Play! Scarf Dance by Evonne Lack Last updated: January 2009