Games for 3 to 9 months

Three to six months

1. Lie on your side next to your baby and roll him over your tummy and then back again. Roll him from side to side and along the length of the bed, but stop when he indicates that he’s no longer enjoying this.
2. Play peekaboo games: hide behind your hands or a towel and ask your baby, “Where am I, where am I?” and then suddenly pop up again.
3. Pull your baby up into a sitting position and then let her fall back onto a soft cushion. Most babies love an upright position, so they enjoy being pulled up. The surprise element of falling back will delight them too. As they grow, this will also help encourage the sitting position.
4. Go for extended walks. Whether your baby is in a buggy or in a kangaroo-type carrier, walks are guaranteed to soothe unsettled babies and waken their curiosity to everything around them, which happily takes care of an hour or more.

Six to nine months

1. Dance with your baby. Babies love nothing more than being twirled around and jiggled up and down to the rhythm of music. You’ll then often notice that your little one starts to dance a jig on your lap when the music starts up.
2. Tickle your little one. Most babies love the sensation of being tickled all over and will laugh from the depths of their bellies. Stop before the sensations become overpowering, though.
3. Blow air through flaccid (soft, limp) lips directly onto her tummy. Not only will this ticklish sensation delight, but children also enjoy the sound it makes!
4. Run a feather up and down your child’s arms and legs and on his tummy. The exquisitely light touch of a feather can give your baby goose bumps of pleasure. Note that if they don't like this sensation, it may be an indication that they’d prefer a firmer massage.
5. Roll a soft, light beach ball to each other. Children love this game, and you’ll enjoy it, too.
6. Cut shapes in a shoe box and let her drop objects through the hole into the box. You can’t expect him to match shapes at this stage, though.
7. Make rattles with a variety of bells, grains, seeds and beans as fillings in covered toilet rolls.

By Sister Lilian

Games for 9 to 12 months


sister lilian, pregnancy, baby, games, toddler