Activities
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Activity library
193 activities with English and Chinese instructions. Browse by catalog age or development area, and log the activity you tried.
These are catalog age groups, not personalized recommendations or milestone deadlines. Choose for your baby's current abilities, stay close, and stop if your baby is uncomfortable. Added reminders are separate from the source instructions.
9 of 193 activities
7–9 months · 9
Give & Take#130 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Stimulate the concept of independence
- Materials
- Toy
- Time or repetitions
- Repeat 2 - 4 times
- How to do it
- Find a toy that the baby enjoys and practice giving and taking the toy. First give the toy to the baby, and then ask her to give it to you. If she doesn't give it to you, gently take it from her. You can use various toys to find one that she prefers. Eventually, she will tire of the game and want the toy just for herself. When she is frustrated, you can stop the exercise.
- Related milestone in the source
- Becomes protective of self and possessions; might fight over a toy.
Head to Head#137 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Increase the baby's interactions with people
- Materials
- None, just you
- Time or repetitions
- Repeat 3 - 5 times
- How to do it
- Frequently play games that require the baby to interact with you directly, as opposed to toys. For example, sit him on your lap looking at you and gently touch your heads together after counting to 3. After a while he will start moving his head to touch yours in anticipation of the next round of the game.
Introducing New People - III#138 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Introduce elements of socialization
- Materials
- None, just you
- Time or repetitions
- Perform at social gatherings
- How to do it
- Expose your baby to different people. Get her used to interacting and playing with them as actively as possible.
- Related milestone in the source
- Higher ability to focus; demonstrates curiosity about people.
Joining the Fun#139 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Learning to actively establish contact with other people
- Materials
- Toys
- Time or repetitions
- Repeat 1 - 3 times
- How to do it
- Both parents sit in one corner of the room, away from the baby, and start an activity that might be fun for the baby, like stacking blocks or putting toys in a basket and emptying it. The objective is to get the baby's attention indirectly without calling her. At some point the baby will crawl to where her parents are and will try to join the activity.
- Related milestone in the source
- Seeks social approval and interaction with social environment (e.g., performs actions to get applause).
Mirror - III#144 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Introduce elements of socialization
- Materials
- Mirror
- Time or repetitions
- Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
- How to do it
- With a mirror in front of both of you, ask the baby to point to you and then to him. Celebrate when he is right.
Play Dates#158 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Socializing through play
- Materials
- None, just you
- Time or repetitions
- Perform at social gatherings
- How to do it
- Organize play dates with other children of a similar age or let the baby interact with peers at the playground so that the baby continues to get familiar with more and more people.
- Related milestone in the source
- Reacts to seeing a picture of another baby with babbling or movement; associates the image with self.
Playing with Your Baby#164 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Reinforce relationship between parents and baby
- Materials
- None, just you
- Time or repetitions
- Several times throughout the day
- How to do it
- An effective way to increase the bond between parent and child is to play. Interesting games create challenges and a sense of accomplishment for the baby. Throughout the day allocate time to play new games. Hiding objects, playing peekaboo, and making sounds from unexpected places are all appropriate for this age.
- Related milestone in the source
- Higher ability to focus; demonstrates curiosity about people.
Social Exposure#179 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Increase the baby's interactions with people
- Materials
- None, just you
- Time or repetitions
- Perform at social gatherings
- How to do it
- Around this age, many babies will start to experience separation anxiety. You should take your baby with you when you are engaged in any kind of social activity, like visiting friends, eating out, or shopping. Periodically have other people hold the baby for brief periods to increase her comfort with strangers.
- Related milestone in the source
- Separation Anxiety: triggered by new understanding that baby and mother are separate entities; realizes mother might leave the baby periodically.
Yes & No - III#193 · People & feelings
- Goal
- Developing the concept of yes and no
- Materials
- A toy and matches or scissors
- Time or repetitions
- Repeat 3 - 5 times
- How to do it
- Sit at the table with the baby and place two objects in front of you, one an appropriate toy for the baby and the other an inappropriate object, like matches or scissors. After observing both objects the baby will try to reach for one. If she goes for the appropriate one, smile and say, "Yes, you may play with this toy." If she goes for the other one, shake your head and say in a serious tone, "No, matches are not for babies."
- Related milestone in the source
- Says " No" while shaking head side to side.