When your baby crosses six months of age, you will find them trying to explore the world. This is the time to introduce them to games and activities for 6-month-old babies. These activities can boost their cognitive skills and physical skills. Around this age, your little one begins to eat pureed food for the first time, learns to respond to names, and recognizes their reflection in the mirror. You can further help them develop these skills by sitting with them and engaging them in the various activities. To help you tackle this development pursuit, here are some of the best ways you can try. Read on to know more.
15 Games And Activities For 6-month-old Babies
These activities will help in the baby’s physical, mental, and social development. Each activity nurtures a set of specific developmental skills, which we mention at the end.
1. Peek-a-boo with a blanket:
You will need: A regular bed sheet or blanket How to: This is a classic game to entertain your 6-month-old baby. Skills developed: Listening skills, vision-hearing coordination, general curiosity
2. Sit-n-splash the water:
You will need: A bathtub How to: Babies can sit without support by the age of six months, and you can strengthen those back muscles during bath time. Babies innately enjoy playing with water, thus making this activity a great way to improve their lower back strength. Skills developed: Muscle strength, general physical dexterity
3. Nursery rhyme with dance:
You will need: You and your baby How to: Playing with a six-month-old is all the more joyful when you add nursery rhymes and dance to the equation. Be prepared to see your baby giggle and chortle to your singing! Skills developed: Basic voice and movement coordination, social skills
4. Fun with the bubbles
You will need: Bubble maker, your partner How to: This is a simple sensory play for the baby’s developing eyesight. Skills developed: Object tracking, vision development, muscle-sight coordination
5. Stacking the blocks
You will need: Colorful baby blocks How to: The ability to grasp objects develops around the age of six months and playing with colorful blocks is a nice way to exercise that. Skills developed: Coordination of hand muscles, grasping ability, hand and eye coordination
6. Story reading
You will need: Brightly illustrated baby’s storybooks How to: Words may evade your six-month-old baby’s understanding, but they will love colorful illustrations. Story reading time helps reinforce their interest in colors and contrasting patterns. Skills developed: Basic understanding of patterns, visual perception skills, listening skills
7. Who’s that?
You will need: You and your partner How to: This is a stimulating activity for a six-month-old and can cement their name in their mind. This is an amazingly fun-filled activity that the entire family can play with the baby. Skills developed: Auditory sense skills, identifying and locating sources of sound
8. The noisy box:
You will need: A plastic box filled with baby cereal How to: Prefer using a box with a transparent plastic cover so that the baby can see inside and get excited. Skills developed: Cause and effect, Understanding sound and motion relation
9. Bouncing on the legs:
You will need: You and your baby How to: It is time to bounce and exercise those baby legs! Skills developed: Muscle strength, improved range of motion, basic balancing skill
10. Colorful purees:
You will need: Food purees of different colors How to: Your six-month-old can start consuming solid food now, so why not leverage it with a stimulating fun activity? This is like a basic art and craft session for your baby, and since the colors are edible, you need not worry about them putting their hands in their mouth. Skills developed: Visual stimulation through vivid colors, general tactile perception
11. Moving toy:
You will need: Stringed toy, your partner How to: Crawl using their tummy helps in the baby’s overall physical development. The moving toy helps in the development and also entertains the baby. Skills developed: Vision-movement coordination, overall physical dexterity, and strength
12. Crunches for the baby:
You will need: You and your baby How to: Your baby’s neck muscles now support their head. Keep the development right on track with this crunches exercise for the baby. This assisted baby movement will exercise their tummy muscles while enhancing the ability of their neck muscles to hold the head. Skills developed: Muscle control, muscle movement nimbleness, overall gross motor skills
13. Rolling beach ball:
You will need: A beach ball How to: Play this activity anywhere – indoors or outdoors. In either case, they are flexing their muscles, making them stronger. Skills developed: Object tracking, overall muscle strength
14. Tugging the string:
You will need: String made from soft fibers, yourself How to: This fantastic game exercises the six-month-old’s grip, which becomes more nimble around this age (4). This simple game helps to strengthen the baby’s grip and overall flexibility of their fingers. You may even use a mix of colorful intertwined strands that the baby should invariably find attractive. Skills developed: Grip strength and resistance, muscle response to a force
15. Baby goes bicycling!
You will need: You and your baby How to: Often parents forget to exercise the legs of the baby, which constitute a large chunk of the body’s muscle weight. Here is an exercise to provide a necessary activity to the leg muscles. A simple and easy exercise for the legs and abdominal muscles. Skills developed: Muscle strength, an improved range of muscle motion These games for your six-month-old aim at the holistic development of the baby. But it is important to keep some points in mind while you play these games so that the infants reap the maximum benefit.
5 Tips For Parents Of 6-month-old Babies
Here is what you can do to ensure that your baby benefits the most from the above activities: While activity is important for a six-month-old baby, rest and adequate nutrition are also necessary to keep the baby healthy and active. Remember, activities are important but they should not be exhausting for the baby. Have a game or activity to share? Do let us know by leaving a comment below.
