Play ideas for 6 to 9 months

17 things to do

• Peekaboo with a scarf4 min · you need a thin scarf or light cloth · Your baby learns that things are still there when they can't see them.
• Bang the pots5 min · you need two or three pots, a wooden spoon · Your baby finds out that different pots make different sounds.
• Drop it in the bowl4 min · you need a big bowl, a few pairs of socks rolled into balls · Letting go on purpose is a new skill, and this gives it a target.
• The uh-oh game3 min · you need a spoon or soft toy · Dropping things over and over is how babies test what happens, and "uh-oh" is often an early word.
• Basket of kitchen treasures8 min · you need a basket or box, a wooden spoon, a whisk, a big lid, measuring cups, a soft scarf · Real things have weights, sounds and textures that babies love to explore.
• Under the cup3 min · you need a plastic bowl or cup, a small toy too big to fit in the mouth · Finding a hidden toy shows your baby is learning that things exist when out of sight.
• Hand to hand3 min · you need two toys · Passing a toy from hand to hand is a new skill around this age.
• Pillow ring sit-up5 min · you need a few pillows or cushions, some toys · Reaching while sitting builds balance, with a soft landing if they tip.
• What does the cow say?4 min · you need a picture book with animals, or toy animals · Animal sounds are easy, fun sounds for babies to listen to and, later, to copy.
• Roll the ball5 min · you need a soft ball · It's an early turn-taking game, with you and your baby passing something back and forth.
• Feel the grass5 min · you need a blanket, a patch of grass · New textures underfoot are a whole new thing to explore.
• Follow their gaze10 min · you need a stroller or carrier · Naming what your baby is already looking at links the word to the thing.
• Humpty Dumpty knee bounce3 min · nothing to get · A rhyme with a surprise dip teaches your baby to listen and wait for it.
• The baby cupboard8 min · you need one low cupboard, pots, plastic bowls and lids · Emptying things out is exactly what babies this age love to do, and one safe cupboard makes it a yes.
• Pour in the bath5 min · you need a plastic cup, your baby's usual bath · Watching water pour and drip is a simple science lesson for a baby.
• Feel and say walk5 min · nothing to get · Each new texture comes with a word, building your baby's first vocabulary.
• Big kid parade4 min · you need a pot and spoon for the big kid · Babies love watching older children, and the big kid gets to be the star.