What Activities Can I Do with My 6-Month-Old?

“At six months old is when it starts getting really fun!” I was told this when my first baby was a few months shy of that landmark. I was plenty defensive and thought to myself that my baby was perfectly fun as he currently was. But, low and behold, my friend was right.

Six months hit and every day just got better and better. I won’t go so far as to say it’s my number one favorite stage (that’s reserved for 18-month-old kids), but boy, do things start to get fun! Here are seven activities that are perfect for six-month-old babies:

1. Hand Games

Peekaboo, pat-a-cake, itsy bitsy spider, you name it. Babies like it when things are moving, and these games include something else they love: YOU! Sitting on your lap with your undivided attention helps your baby establish good eye contact. Watching your fingers move, and playing games like peekaboo, help to teach her basic ideas like object permanence, or help increase some fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

2. Tickles & Wrestles

My husband is a fantastic dad. But when it comes to the itty bitty babies, he’s a tad on the hesitant side. Around six months old, when baby is more sturdy, responsive, and reactive to fun/funny things he does, he becomes more comfortable and therefore becomes the designated fun parent. But tickling and wrestling don’t have to be grand or planned out occurrences. Even us lame moms can get a giggle going every once in while, especially when your babe is young enough that they can’t get away!

3. Cause and Effect

I’m convinced if I had a bottomless wipe case with endless amounts of wipes inside, my job as a mom would be completely obsolete. I recently heard of an idea similar to this idea here, simply tie or sew some fabric straps together to create a long strand, and put that newly created fabric strip into an empty wipe case. Voila. So much entertainment!! Another fun thing most babies pick up on around this age is the realization that if they drop something, someone will pick it up for them. So they drop it again and sure enough, they have a great game going.

4. Walks

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It’s no secret babies love being outside. Strolling down the block gives baby a nice change of scenery and some fresh air. There are tons of things to look at and talk about; so point out all of the shapes, colors, animals, and many other things you see! This also allows the opportunity to meet and talk to people, strangers and friends alike, which is an added bonus for both you and your little one! Not to mention the Vitamin D your bodies are happily absorbing.

5. Animals

Whether this is finding animals on walks, playing with toy animals, or even acting like an animal – your baby will love it. Six months is a little young for babies to start memorizing animal noises to recite back to you, but they will soak up all of the sounds and actions associated with little creatures, and their little minds will eventually start to be able to recall and perform right along side you.

6. Books

Every time I take my babies to the pediatrician, I receive a cute little handout to take home. On these are my baby’s stats, feeding information, milestones I can expect in the near future, and a place for the doctor’s notes. No fail, every single time I’ve visited the pediatrician for a wellness check, the doctor’s comments section gets filled out with, “read lots!” I figure if he is constantly writing this on every single card he fills out, then there is some mighty importance behind it. Reading is a fantastic pastime, introduces little ones to words they don’t typically hear. It also allows their imaginations to start creating as they look at several pictures in one sitting.

7. Talk and Sing and Talk Some More

I graduated college with a degree in Speech Pathology, and while I don’t remember every single thing I learned, I did take away some pretty important knowledge. The number one thing drilled into us was language, language, and language! Even the tiniest babies are responsive in some way to communication. It is incredibly important to talk to babies all day every day. By the time six months rolls around, babies are catching on to a lot of meanings, even if they don’t show it. Singing is similar, and usually more captivating – perfect for entertaining!

If you’re not convinced by now, six month old babies are a blast in their own tiny ways. They’re truly starting to catch on to the things going on around them and they can’t get enough of exploring and figuring things out! Enjoy this stage, because it comes and goes quicker than you think!