Baby Play - Keep On Playing

At eight months old, my son has become a little person ready to play with his big sister. Although he's not quite up to chasing her around yet, he's definitely trying to get involved. Here are 10 ways to play with a little one who's very nearly mobile.

Make Music

Babies this age love to bang. Give your little one a wooden spoon and saucepan or metal tin and let them play you the "drums".

Play Ball

Hold baby in front of you and support them. Place a ball in front of their feet and help them to kick the ball around. A great way to build up those muscles for crawling. Alternatively, babies this age can roll the ball back and forth to a friend with a little assistance.

Basket of Toys 

Fill a tub, basket or washing basket with toys or kitchen utensils. Baby will love sitting by the basket and removing the contents to explore at their leisure.

Balloon On A String

A balloon on a string is great fun for a baby to hit and shake. Just make sure that you closely supervise the play to ensure that baby doesn't get tangled in the string or swallow bits of popped balloon plastic. 

Sing

Dredge up all of those old nursery rhymes and songs from the depths of your brain and sing with your little one. It doesn't matter if you're good at singing or not, baby will love your voice.

Scarves

Get an old empty tissue box and fill it with light weight scarves or large cloth napkins. Baby will love pulling these out of the box. They can also make a fun game of peek-a-boo.

Get Outside

Take baby outside to feel (and taste) the grass. Roll in the grass with them. Pop to the local park ~ at this age they can gently go on swings with a belt, ride down the slide on a lap, ride on a bouncer, or explore the tan bark.

Shake It

Noises are fascinating. Fill a clean empty jar with glitter or rice and nuts from the kitchen. Screw the lid on tightly and you have an instant shaker. 

Mirror

Look in a mirror with your baby. They will love their reflection and enjoy making faces.


Read

And you knew I was going to say this one! Read them a story or ten.


What other fun activities do you enjoy with your little one? Catch up on more ideas for playing with children.