The first six months of a baby's life are an amazing time, as they transform from a floppy-headed newborn into a tiny person who can sit and play. Fun and simple infant activities can nurture and challenge your baby during this exciting developmental stage, when their brain grows at a faster rate than at any other time in their lives.
"Stimulating your child's brain during this time and providing situations where they can explore helps them to learn things that get them in touch with their environment," says child and adolescent psychologist Robert Myers, PhD, founder of the Child Development Institute and assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
Infant activities also help you tune into your baby's needs. "Doing developmental activities bonds parents to their child and makes them a better observer, so when they go to the pediatrician, they can give the doctor good information about where the child is developmentally," says Dr. Myers.
To help get your creative juices flowing, we rounded up some simple, development-boosting infant activities suggested by three leading child development experts. Read on, and get inspired!
1. Listening To Your Voice
Sing, talk, and read aloud to your baby using exaggerated tones of voice. Watch your baby's facial expressions and see how they react to different pitches. Research shows that the way parents tend to speak to their newborns—with a higher pitch, slower speed, and exaggerated pronunciation—is both most compelling to infants and helps them understand what they're saying.
2. Tracking Toys
You'll need a soft, colorful toy, like a sponge ball or stuffed animal. While your baby is lying on their back, hold the toy in front of their face and, if needed, wiggle it slowly or gently touch them with it to get their attention. Then move the toy from side to side, encouraging them to follow along with their eyes. This will help develop your baby's visual tracking and overall observation skills.
3. Dancing Together
Music does a baby good! Research shows that even newborns respond favorably to a regular, rhythmic beat. Put on one of your favorite songs and, while holding your baby securely to your chest, gently move around together in time to the music. "This also encourages an interest in music and strengthens bonding with the parent, which is important for emotional development," Dr. Myers points out.
4. Lullaby Songs
The next time your newborn is crying or resisting a nap, sing them a lullaby in a soothing voice. Don't remember any of the classics? No problem—you can find song lyrics online or just make up your own. One study showed that babies relax when hearing the gentle, lilting music of a lullaby, even when it's performed in a language that's different than what they mostly hear. Along with honing your baby's listening skills, singing to your child can help them develop emotional regulation.
5. Playing With a Mirror
Infants are entranced with seeing images of other babies—including (and perhaps most especially) their adorable selves! First, find a baby-safe mirror (one made from shatterproof acrylic that doesn't have any sharp edges). Show your baby their reflection in the mirror, then ask, "Who is that?" Repeat with your reflection and then a sibling's or a stuffed animal's. Mirror play can help with visual development and boost a baby's social skills.
6. Baby Sit-Ups
If your baby has good head control, lay them on their back, place your hands under their arms, and gently guide them into a sitting position. As they gain muscle tone and strength, do these sit-ups by holding their hands and slowly bringing them up to a sitting position.
"Just like adults' muscles strengthen when used over and over, the same is true with babies," explains Roni Cohen Leiderman, PhD, dean of the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development at Nova Southeastern University and co-author of Let's Play and Learn Together. As your baby develops strength and balance, they may begin pulling themselves up faster than you are guiding them, she adds.
7. Baby Massage
Baby massage does more than make infants feel great. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, touch is essential for a baby's health and emotional development. Research has found that massage can help a baby sleep, increase their body awareness, encourage flexibility in their arms and legs, and reduce levels of stress hormones.
When your baby is in a quiet and alert state, undress them down to their diaper and lay them face up on a soft towel or blanket in a warm, quiet room. Working in sections as their tolerance allows, gently but firmly stroke their legs, arms, and belly. "We want to make sure babies are touched often and gently," Dr. Leiderman says. "That touch is how babies thrive."
8. Follow the Leader
Best for a baby who is 6 months or older, a game like "Follow the Leader" can help your little one develop memory and social skills. Start by imitating an action that your baby already does frequently, like banging a fist on the table. Pause, make eye contact with your baby, and repeat the action, saying, "Can you do this?"
If they follow along, see how many actions your child can imitate in a row by tapping the table, opening and closing your hands, clapping, and waving. Increase the challenge by adding new and more complex movements, but pay attention to your baby's reactions. Scale back if they seem frustrated—the activity should be fun.
9. Flying
This classic game is a great thrill for your baby. It also strengthens their muscles as they learn to balance themselves, and hones their depth perception. Lay your baby belly-down across your lap, and place your hands around their midsection, so they're fully supported. Then gently lift them and move up, down, back, and forth, like a rocket jetting into space.
For extra giggles, add sound effects. "Babies like the element of surprise and learn through it," says Dr. Leiderman. "They are also seeing the world from a different perspective, and there's a gleeful aspect to that."
10. Kicking
All you need is tissue paper for this infant activity that helps build your baby's leg strength and body awareness. Tuck the edges of a new or used tissue paper under the cushion of a sofa or upholstered chair so that it hangs down to the floor like a curtain. Remove your baby's socks, and place them on their back, with their feet against the tissue and knees slightly bent.
They will learn that by kicking, they can make interesting sounds come from the tissue paper. "If [they're] slow to start kicking, gently rustle the paper with your hand or tap [their] feet against it," suggests Rachel Coley, occupational therapist, author of Begin With a Blanket: Creative Play for Infants, and founder of CanDo Kiddo.
11. Basket Grab
Start by snipping a few empty toilet paper tubes into 1- to 2-inch rings. Put the rings in a low basket or a shallow pan. Place the basket in reach of your infant when they're doing tummy time or when they're sitting in your lap with their hands free to play.
Encourage your baby to reach into the container to touch the rings. Slightly older babies may be able to grab one and play with it. Swap out tubes for ribbon strips or bath puffs to provide a different tactile sensation. (Just keep an eye on your baby to make sure they don't put anything they could choke on in their mouth.) This "grab game" helps develop your baby's grasping and releasing skills and hand-eye coordination.
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