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.

19 of 193 activities

4–6 months · 10

Basic Hand Games#004 · People & feelings

Goal: Socializing through play
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Play games with the baby that encourage the use of his hands, like clapping, rubbing his hands together, patting surfaces, and other similar activities.

Body Parts - IV#007 · People & feelings

Goal: Increase the baby's understanding of itself as a separate entity
Materials: Mirror
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Sitting or standing in front of a mirror with your baby, name each part of the body while pointing to it. Focus on five parts at a time, with the primary parts first. You can also use the opportunity to sing a song that includes parts of the body like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."
Related milestone in the source: Explores body with mouth and hands.

Clapping - III#011 · People & feelings

Goal: Stimulate the baby's imitation skills
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Clap and raise your arms rhythmically, trying to get the baby to imitate you.
Related milestone in the source: Clapping: might start clapping hands (between months 6 and 9).

Exploring Surroundings - II#022 · People & feelings

Goal: Introduce elements of socialization
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: When you go out
How to do it: Take your baby to different places and talk about the places you are visiting, the actions that are happening, and specific situations or people that might be unfamiliar.
Related milestone in the source: Actively looks around when in a new place, exploring surroundings.

Funny Faces - II#030 · People & feelings

Goal: Stimulate the baby's imitation skills
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 1 - 3 minutes
How to do it: Make funny faces, show the baby your tongue, and breathe heavily trying to get the baby to imitate you.

Imitating Facial Expressions#037 · People & feelings

Goal: Improve the baby's range of facial expressions
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Perform throughout the day
How to do it: Imitate any facial expression your baby makes: smiling, crying, yawning, and any others.
Related milestone in the source: Imitation: purposely tries to mimic simple sounds and movements.

Introducing New People - III#039 · 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: Social Skills: engages with other people, with preference for parents; smiles more openly.

Lifting & Spinning#041 · People & feelings

Goal: Socializing through play
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 3 - 5 minutes
How to do it: Hold the baby firmly underneath her armpits. Lift her up and down and move her side to side-to-side, laughing and smiling while you do it.

Mirror - II#045 · People & feelings

Goal: Increase self-awareness
Materials: Mirror
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Sit the baby in front of a mirror so that he can see his own image. Ask him: "Where is the baby?" or use his name.
Related milestone in the source: Understands the difference between a human face and non-human objects and animals.

Say My Name - II#075 · People & feelings

Goal: Increase self-awareness
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Several times throughout the day
How to do it: Frequently call the baby by name when you are a few feet away.

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.