1. Pushing Game: Lay baby on tummy and let her push against your hands or a rolled-up towel with her feet; don’t push but support feet with hands as baby inches forward each time. LOVED
2. Surprises Inside: Loosely wrap toys in bright colored paper, put them all in a shopping bag and let baby dig through, unwrap and rediscover things.
3. Shake, Rattle & Roll: Fill a plastic bottle with something that makes noise – try sand, dried beans, rice, pebbles, etc. A good size is a plastic spice bottle – make sure to secure tops with duct tape. LOVED
4. Dumping Delights: Get a wide-mouthed, gallon-sized plastic jar and fill it with measuring cups, plastic bowls, blocks, small plush toys, plastic rings and rattles. Help him fill it and dump it a few times. LOVED
5. Switching Game: Help baby practice using both hands by putting a small toy in one; let her play for a while then hold another toy up toward same hand encouraging her to switch vs. drop it.
6. Play Ball: Roll a medium sized whiffle ball, blown up beach ball or large cloth ball just beyond baby so baby has to move to get it, or roll it directly to her so she can get used to stopping it with her hands.
7. Music Maker: Enhance baby’s listening pleasure by giving her things to shake and rattle while she listens to music or you singing. Gather rattles, squeaky toys and shakers; show her how to use them. LOVED
8. Totally Tubular: Sitters and crawlers enjoy using tubes for sitting support; you can lift and play peek-a-boo with them, too. Can also use the boppy nursing pillow (but can't do peek-a-boo part with it), or a sturdy box like a diaper box (put baby in corner in box for support with toys very supervised) LOVED
9. Clapping Songs: She’s fascinated with hand movement such as clapping, snapping and waving; amplify delight by singing along and clapping with BINGO or This Old Man. LOVED
10. Little Drummer Boy: Entertain baby with bowls and wooden spoons. Show baby how to hit the “drums” to make noise and encourage baby to try. LOVED
11. Fingerpuppet Fun: Slip on a fingerpuppet or two and let puppet bob, dance, kiss, tickle, sing and talk to baby. Try singing a song; baby will reach and love this activity.
12. Magic Scarves: Poke a silky scarve through the end of a cardboard tube and let baby pull it out of the other side; you can also hide it in your fist and play peek-a-boo with it. LOVED
13. Stop the Top: Make a spinning top spin in front of your baby and show baby how to stop it by touching it with your hand. LOVED
14. Busy Boxes: Activity boards with cylinders that whirl, dials that spin, and buttons that squeak provide hours of amusement for babies. Show her how it works then let baby try it. LOVED
15. Roly Poly: Lay baby on back facing you, then gently help her sit and stand as you engage in roly-poly activity; sing roly-poly song (out; in; touch your nose; touch your toes; up to sky; fly, fly, fly). LOVED
16. Sing Songs with Hand Gestures: Definitely do clapping songs (above), but also any gestures you can while singing (e.g., the dish ran away with the spoon could be running fingers from baby’s belly to chin).
17. Where’s the Toy?: Partially hide a favorite plush toy or book under one of her blankets; ask her repeatedly, “where is it?” Help her find it, then later hide it completely and help her find it. LOVED
18. Baby’s Cupboard: Devote a cupboard to your baby with appealing objects like towels, plastic bowels, measuring cups, muffin tins and some of her toys – let her load and unload it “working” in the kitchen. LOVED
19. I’m Gonna Get You: Babies love to be chased and surprised; start crawling slowly after baby murmuring I’m gonna get you; then gently grab baby and say I got you gently tickling, kissing, etc. LOVED; especially when she was a bit older
20. Bottle Roll: Use filled spice bottles (with beans, rice, etc.) to lure baby to move – roll it across the floor so baby will go for it! LOVED
Rollover Activities from 3 – 6 Months That May be Best in 6 – 9 Months:
21. Friendly Faces: Give baby a book with lots of faces and the many emotions they express; point out people in pictures helps baby begin to connect names with familiar faces (make own by gluing photos
22. Pool Play: Fill up inflatable kiddie pool and let baby splash around; use toys if you want to.
23. Look at Items: Encourage looking at small items. (buttons, magnets); and distant objects (turn ceiling fans on and off, lights on and off, or look out the window). Also, show baby stuff (e.g., egg beaters, spoons, spatulas, books, bottles, record albums, colorful clothing, fruits, vegetables, and so on). Keep a stash of objects beside you and sit with your baby; hold objects a foot from her face and stare at it and say its name. 24. Drop Items: Encourage purposeful release of objects. During a bath, drop toys in water to splash.
25. Closet Journey: show your baby different fabrics, run them along her hand for her to feel them. LOVED
26. Do ‘hand’ and ‘foot’ Crafts: such as the rainbow butterfly footprint artwork.
27. Make Sensory Bags: fill ziplok bags with hair gel and small items (plastic frogs, beads, buttons, etc.) – surround with duct tape and let baby play.
28. Common Scents: get containers of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and things like bananas, lemons, etc. Sit down with baby and pass items under nose; watch reactions and name/describe smells.
29. Outdoor Play: Put a blanket down or pup baby on lap; touch grass, hear sounds, etc. LOVED
30. Water Play: Lay towel on floor and fill a bowl with water. Place baby on lap and let her splash water with hands; use water toy to extend time.
31. Make ‘feely’ boxes: Fill a box with ribbons and let baby touch different textures, or a nature box with leaves, pine cones, etc.
32. Flour Pat: Place a thin later of flour in the bottom of a small, shallow tub; place hand in it.
Beckett Loved:
coming soon!
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