Natalie Portman Takes Son Aleph on a Playground Playdate

By Liz Raftery

05/25/2012 at 05:35 PM EDT

A is for ... adorable!

Natalie Portman was happy to lend a helping hand – or two – to her son Aleph during a recent playground visit in Los Angeles.

First-time mom Portman, 30, steadied her barefoot son at the top of a slide and held his hand as they walked through the sand earlier this week.

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But it seems Aleph, who will turn 1 next month, won't need help from his proud mom much longer.

The baby seemed on the verge of walking on his own and was more than happy to play on the slide and mingle with other children during the mother-son playdate.