Rascal was about 7 months old when I decided to start teaching her tricks. Yes I know it sounds like I’m teaching a puppy but it’s actually quite a similar process at this age! I can’t remember all the ones we have done, but here are the ones that have stuck in my memory.
First was knocking down towers. She embraced this trick with all the excitement and determination she could. I would build a tower and she would lean over and knock it down. It got to the point where I would put one block in place to start thinking about building a tower and she would smash it, even though the tower didn’t yet exist! When crawling started, she would come from all ends of the globe to smash any tower I had made and it wasn’t restricted to my towers. She smashed the towers of kid’s friends as well, much to their frustration!
First was knocking down towers. She embraced this trick with all the excitement and determination she could. I would build a tower and she would lean over and knock it down. It got to the point where I would put one block in place to start thinking about building a tower and she would smash it, even though the tower didn’t yet exist! When crawling started, she would come from all ends of the globe to smash any tower I had made and it wasn’t restricted to my towers. She smashed the towers of kid’s friends as well, much to their frustration!
Next was waving. I would wave at her every time I saw her. She would look at me with confusion, sure that her mother had completely lost her mind this time. She thought it was just me initially, so dismissed it as a crazy motherly quirk, but after I convinced Daddy to participate, she thought it might have some merit. It took a couple of days, but eventually she decided to see what would happen and she waved back. I reacted with such exuberance and praise that she continued to wave... at absolutely everything!
She would wave when someone came into the room, which was appropriate. She happily waved on Skype to the grandparents, much to their delight. She would wave when we went to the door whether someone was there or not. When we walked past a door, she would wave at it in case someone was there. She would wave at her toys, her teddy, her window, photos in frames. Even a plastic bag blowing in the breeze was reason enough to wave! We have a little heater with two knobs (eyes), a button in the middle (nose) and a curved light (mouth), and she reserves her most fervent waves for this object.
She would wave when someone came into the room, which was appropriate. She happily waved on Skype to the grandparents, much to their delight. She would wave when we went to the door whether someone was there or not. When we walked past a door, she would wave at it in case someone was there. She would wave at her toys, her teddy, her window, photos in frames. Even a plastic bag blowing in the breeze was reason enough to wave! We have a little heater with two knobs (eyes), a button in the middle (nose) and a curved light (mouth), and she reserves her most fervent waves for this object.
"She would look at me with confusion, sure that her mother had completely lost her mind this time."
I had already moved on to bigger and better things and was demonstrating clapping hands. I started clapping constantly and it wasn’t long before she, too, was clapping hands. She was more appropriate at the hand clapping and would clap along to songs and clap on command, much to the delight of the grandparents again!
We then moved on to a sort of warbling sound that is made by making a sound and flicking the bottom lip. She loved this one and would do it constantly. I noticed, though, that the wave was starting to appear less and less. It was like she was only able to hold a certain number of tricks in her “Trick Bank” at any given time!
There have been many others, but the one we are currently working on is blowing kisses. She just doesn’t see the point of this one! She watches me with a look of mild toleration when I show it to her and blow kisses to Nana on Skype. I’ll be interested to see how long it takes, but I might have to convince Daddy to start blowing kisses. Then she might decide I’m not going mad after all!
Libby :)
We then moved on to a sort of warbling sound that is made by making a sound and flicking the bottom lip. She loved this one and would do it constantly. I noticed, though, that the wave was starting to appear less and less. It was like she was only able to hold a certain number of tricks in her “Trick Bank” at any given time!
There have been many others, but the one we are currently working on is blowing kisses. She just doesn’t see the point of this one! She watches me with a look of mild toleration when I show it to her and blow kisses to Nana on Skype. I’ll be interested to see how long it takes, but I might have to convince Daddy to start blowing kisses. Then she might decide I’m not going mad after all!
Libby :)
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