• Babies are visually attracted to bright colors.Baby image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com
  
  At birth, your baby can see little more than the blurry outline of your face as you hold him. During the next few months, he develops the ability to see objects farther away, to see colors, to judge distances and to coordinate his hand and eye movements. Playing vision games with your baby can help stimulate his developing eyesight.
  
  

Birth to Four Months

• Stimulate your baby's vision using bold, contrasting images and tracking games. The JustMommies website recommends showing your baby a board book with black-and-white pictures. Move the book back and forth to encourage your baby to track the movement from side to side.
  
  Play another tracking game by using a rattle. Shake the rattle close to your baby's face, and then move it farther away or move it in a circle. The goal is for your baby to follow the rattle with her eyes. Speed up or slow down to add variation.
  
  Play a game of peek-a-boo with your baby to help him understand that things still exist even if they are out of sight. Hide your face behind your hands or a blanket. Pop out and say "Peek-a-boo!" Your baby may look for you while you're gone, and then smile or giggle when you appear.
  
  

Five to Eight Months

• Help your baby develop hand-and-eye coordination by offering her brightly colored toys that she can hold, such as rattles and teethers. The American Optometric Association recommends moving your baby's hands while playing a game of "Pat-a-cake."
  
  In their book "Infant and Toddler Experiences," authors Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield suggest using clear, adhesive shelf liner to attach family photos to a tile or linoleum floor. Your baby can scoot or crawl toward the pictures and study them visually as you name the people in the photo.
  
  

Nine to Twelve Months

• Promote development of visual memory by playing hide-and-seek games with your baby, as suggested by the American Optometric Association. Show your baby a brightly colored toy, and then let him watch you hide it under a blanket or pillow. Pull the blanket away and act surprised to see the toy still there.
  
  Work on motor control by playing a baby version of basketball. Encourage your baby to throw balls into a large box or a laundry basket. Move the box or basket to make this game easier or harder.