Basic Developmental Activities to do with Baby

I don’t know about you but thinking of activities to do with my little one, let alone activities that help with development, is so stinking hard. I have put together some ideas that you can do with your baby, that are both fun and help with development. Hope this helps!

Newborn (0-3 months) Developmental Activities

Newborns are precious and little. Simple and small activities are best for them and are actually very beneficial.

-       Talk to and sing to your baby. This helps them with their social and language development.

-       Tummy time helps strengthen neck and upper body muscles.

-       Let them explore and feel new textures. This will help develop sensory awareness and fine motor skills.

Pampers also gives some great ideas for activities to do with your little newbie.

3-6 Months Developmental activities

Can you believe how fast they grow? Your baby is now ready to start exploring new things and learn new skills.

-       Tummy time is still very beneficial as they learn to roll over. Set a toy just out of reach to encourage rolling. Praise them and encourage them as they make an effort towards rolling over.

-       Toys. Babies this age love toys that crinkle or rattle. I remember my little one absolutely LOVED swatting at things that hung above him. These kinds of activities help with hand-eye coordination and learning to grasp. I would recommend getting a baby play gym like this one at Walmart.

-       Music time! Music helps your baby’s language and social development.

-       Peek-a-boo is a great game to help them learn about object permanence.

-       Show your baby their reflection in a mirror to help develop self-awareness. Plus, it’s the cutest thing to watch them try and figure out how a mirror works!

6-9 Months Developmental Activities

Your baby is stronger now and really getting a personality. They are learning faster than ever. There are even more activities that you can do with your little one at this age.

-       Encourage sitting up with support. A Bumbo seat was probably one of my favorite tools when teaching my little one to sit up independently.

-       Introduce new textures for sensory exploration.

-       Place toys and safe objects just out of reach to encourage crawling.

-       Stacking toys help with hand-eye coordination. Demonstrate how to stack a toy on top of another, then have baby try.

-       Babbling. Maybe this isn’t really activity but encouraging the cute little babble that your baby has is a big help for language development. Respond to their babbles and encourage new sounds.

-       Read books. Let me say that again: READ BOOKS. This is one of the best things you can do to help your baby’s language development. Nemous KidsHealth says, “The more stories you read aloud, the more words your baby will hear and the better they'll be able to talk.” This is where they learn pronunciation and the rhythm of sentences. Learn more about that here.

9-12 Months Developmental Activities

Man, they grow so fast! Here are a few more activities you can do to help your little one continue developing.

-       Keep reading ;)

-       Play with balls. Rolling, throwing, and chasing balls helps with motor skills and coordination.

-       Simple puzzles can help with fine motor skills and problem solving

-       Interactive play. Sing and act out nursery rhymes. This is educational and helps with social development.

-       Encourage and support your little one as they pull themselves up to standing and start moving along furniture.

One more thing to say…

Let me just say, every baby develops at their own pace. If you’re concerned with any developmental milestones, please talk to your pediatrician. At 9 months, my little one was still not walking or crawling, but he got there eventually! Like I said, every baby develops at their own pace. Maybe this is silly, but honestly, I would recommend each of you to go watch the Bluey episode titled “It’s a Baby Race” in season 2 (here’s the Youtube link). I remember my sister-in-law showed me this episode, and it really makes me feel so much better every time!