50 Activities To Do With Your 6-12 Month Baby

It’s that in between stage – your baby cannot talk or walk, but he crawls everywhere and demands your constant attention.  His nap times are shorter than when he was a newborn and when he gets bored, he tends to eat things off the floor.  You’ve done everything you can think of, twice, but let’s face it – you’re both getting tired of the same old routine.

Here are some ideas (fifty, to be exact) for how you can break up the monotony of everyday life while also working on your baby’s developmental skills while doing it. Write the following activities on Popsicle sticks, using separate colors for “at home” and “away from home”. Have your baby pick one out of a bucket each day for a fun surprise!

Cognitive Development
At Home:
1. Blow bubbles
2. Play “chase the flashlight”
3. Make rattles out of beans and bottles
4. Turn the light switches on and off
5. Stack and knock down tupperware
6. Touch the plants outside
7. Mix dish soap and food color in a bag
8. Race toy cars on homemade ramps
9. Wind and unwind a ribbon 

Away From Home
10. Look at pictures in an art museum

Speech and Language Development
At Home
11. Put on a puppet show
12. Sing songs with hand movements
13. Name the people in family photos
14. Practice sign language
15. Make silly noises to repeat or laugh at
16. Take a bath and learn body parts

Away From Home
17. Go out to a movie theater
18. Visit a farmer’s market and name the produce
19. Describe what you see at the park
20. Check out books at the library

Social and Emotional Development
At Home
21. Play with your pets
22. Video chat with a relative

Away From Home
23. Surprise daddy/mommy at work
24. Eat out at a restaurant
25. Hang out with a friend
26. Watch dogs at a dog park
27. Go to the zoo
28. Food ducks at a pond
29. Visit an aquarium
30. Shop at the mall

Fine Motor Skill Development
At Home
31. Eat snacks on a blanket outside
32. Squeeze sponges in water
33. Wrap and unwrap a toy
34. Bang on pots and pans
35. Play with fresh spaghetti noodles
36. Assemble a tower together
37. Float flowers in water to grab

Away From Home
38. Play with stir stick at a coffee shop
39. Let your baby choose toys at the dollar store
40. Swing at the playground

Gross Motor Skill Development
At Home
41. Help your baby push a laundry basket
42. Make a tunnel to crawl through
43. Climb on a pile of pillows
44. Create an obstacle course to walk around
45. Dance to music
46. Play hide and seek
47. Build a fort to crawl in

Away From Home
48. Swim at the pool
49. Visit botanical gardens and pull up on benches
50. Have a picnic at the park to practice sitting up

Amy Senter is a former elementary teacher now staying at home with her 2 year old son.  She loves to sew and is obsessed with Pinterest.  She recently opened an online shop, ASpoolofThread, selling handmade children’s toys and gifts. You can read about her toddler activities and DIY tutorials on her blog, Amy’s Notebook.