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.

45 of 193 activities

4–6 months · 26

Appropriate Object Handling#002 · Senses

Goal: Improve the baby's ability to handle different types of objects appropriately
Materials: Objects around you (i.e., flowers, your face, play dough, etc.)
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Teach him to use different types of touch for various objects around him. For example, to touch a flower gently, or massage play dough, bang a drum, or softly touch Mom's face.

Balloon#003 · Senses

Goal: Expand the baby's capacity to follow moving objects
Materials: Balloon (if possible a Mylar Balloon)
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Give the baby a balloon to play with, encouraging him to follow its slow movement with his eyes and his body.

Changing Perspective#008 · Senses

Goal: Improve visual tracking
Materials: Large object
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Try to get the baby's attention focused on a large object. Move him around the object, above and below, so that he can see it from different perspectives.
Related milestone in the source: Looks at objects from different perspectives, turning them in various positions to see them in their entirety.

Creating Sound#017 · Senses

Goal: Learn to replicate specific sounds
Materials: Rattle, maraca, or small box with stone inside
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Using a noisy toy, like a rattle or small box with a stone inside, shake it to produce a noise. Finish by knocking the toy against a table or drum. Encourage the baby to try it.
Related milestone in the source: High level of interest in toys that produce sounds like bells, music boxes and rattles.

Dropping & Picking Up#018 · Senses

Goal: Understand cause-effect relationship
Materials: Several toys with different shapes and colors
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Using one of the baby's favorite toys, help him to grab it, drop it, and then pick it up again. Describe the activity as he does it. For example, "The ball fell, let's pick up the ball."
Related milestone in the source: Nearly always uses a single arm to reach for something, rather than using both.

Dropping Objects#019 · Senses

Goal: Improve visual tracking and visual memory
Materials: Colorful toys
Time or repetitions: Repeat 5 - 8 times
How to do it: Put colorful toys or objects in front of the baby. Pick up each one and let it drop near him. Bring his attention to the place where the object landed. If he tries to grab one of the objects, let him, making sure he can see both his hand and object simultaneously.
Related milestone in the source: Extends arm out to reach for an object that has fallen.

Exploring Your Face - II#023 · Senses

Goal: Increasing the baby's understanding and control of its surroundings
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Allow the baby to touch your face and hair with his hands. As he touches different parts of your face, describe what he is touching.

Exposure to Textures - IV#024 · Senses

Goal: Increasing the baby's understanding and control of its surroundings
Materials: Toys made of different textures (fabric, rubber, plastic, wood, etc.)
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Place several toys with different textures and shapes close to the baby, so that he can explore them and interact with them. You can use toys made of fabric, rubber, plastic, wood, or foam.
Related milestone in the source: Wants to touch, grab, manipulate, shake, and taste objects.

Exposure to Textures - V#025 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 8 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Take the baby on a tour around your house to touch fabrics with different textures, like curtains, bedding, towels, and clothing.

Face Movement#027 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate the baby's imitation skills
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 3 - 5 minutes
How to do it: Open and close your eyes or mouth slowly in front of the baby and encourage her to imitate you. Initially, the baby will likely be confused and may open and close her eyes while you are doing the same with your mouth. With repetition, she will do it correctly.
Related milestone in the source: Imitation: purposely tries to mimic simple sounds and movements.

Finding the Sound Source - III#028 · Senses

Goal: Identify the source of a sound
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Repeat 5 times throughout the day
How to do it: While he is looking elsewhere, call him by his name. Once he turns to look at you, excitedly say: "Yes! I'm here, you found me!"
Related milestone in the source: Begins to Recognize Own Name: reacts when called by name.

Finding the Sound Source - IV#029 · Senses

Goal: Identify the source of a sound
Materials: Various sound sources
Time or repetitions: Several times throughout the day
How to do it: Throughout the day, use different types of sounds to get the baby's attention and to have her try to find the source of the sound. You can call her by her name, clap loudly, turn on the radio, and play musical instruments.
Related milestone in the source: High level of interest in toys that produce sounds like bells, music boxes and rattles.

Hiding Toys#035 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate visual memory
Materials: Toy and cover
Time or repetitions: Repeat 5 - 8 times
How to do it: Partially hide one of his favorite toys under a blanket. Then ask him where it is, revealing it to him after a few seconds. Gradually increase the portion of the toy that is hidden until it is completely under the blanket. You can accomplish a similar objective by playing peekaboo.
Related milestone in the source: Object Permanence: is conscious that an object is partially hidden, is still there, and could reach it.

Moving Toy - Around#048 · Senses

Goal: Improve visual tracking
Materials: Shiny toy or flashlight
Time or repetitions: Repeat 3+ times on each side
How to do it: Find a small object that will get the baby's attention, like a flashlight, finger puppet, or shiny toy. Place it in the baby's line of sight until she fixes her vision on the object; then move it slowly from side to side, up and down, and diagonally so that the baby follows it.
Related milestone in the source: Deliberately turns head toward an object.

Moving Toy - Sitting Position#049 · Senses

Goal: Improve visual tracking
Materials: Rattle or toy
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 3 - 5 minutes
How to do it: With the baby in a seated position on your lap, get her attention with a rattle or a toy. Slowly move the toy from one side to the other, trying to increase the visual range the baby is using to track it. Repeat the process until the child follows the toy with smooth head movements in both directions.
Related milestone in the source: Deliberately turns head toward an object.

Moving Toy - Sitting Position - II#050 · Senses

Goal: Improve visual tracking
Materials: Ball or toy car
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: With the baby in a supported seated position, roll a ball or toy car across a table or the floor in front of him. Do it several times, first slowly and then quickly. Over time he should gain skill at tracking the object, regardless of its speed.
Related milestone in the source: Turns head freely in both directions.

Noisy Toys#052 · Senses

Goal: Differentiate sounds
Materials: Noisy objects (rattles, music boxes, noisy toys, small container with stones)
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Give the baby objects that make different types of sounds, like rattles, music boxes, a small container with stones inside, or a bell. Encourage him to play with each item and make the sound himself.

Playing with Moving Toys#062 · Senses

Goal: Understand cause-effect relationship
Materials: Mechanic toys (that can move)
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Find several toys that move on their own after performing a specific action. For example, a pullback car or a windup toy. Demonstrate to the baby how the toys work and then let him try to use them by himself.

Radio#066 · Senses

Goal: Associate sounds and specific events
Materials: Radio or other music player
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Show him how to turn on and off a radio or other music source. Let him try it and act excited if he succeeds.
Related milestone in the source: High level of interest in toys that produce sounds like bells, music boxes and rattles.

Rolling Ball#074 · Senses

Goal: Expand the baby's capacity to follow moving objects
Materials: Ball
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Roll a ball while trying to have the baby follow it visually. Then let her play with it.
Related milestone in the source: Turns head freely in both directions.

Sensory Bathtub Play#077 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: Sand, blocks, water, etc.
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Let the baby play in the bathtub. Fill it with different baby-safe substances like water, shaving cream, sand, foam blocks, or plastic balls.

Singing & Dancing - II#079 · Senses

Goal: Differentiate sounds with different tone, timbre, and rhythm
Materials: Music, lullabies
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Sing songs and move him to the rhythm of the song, trying to imitate different voices and volumes in the song.

Smelling & Tasting#082 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate the baby's sense of smell
Materials: Food prepared for mealtime
Time or repetitions: While feeding baby
How to do it: When cooking or preparing meals, introduce different scents and flavors to the baby. As you let him smell and taste, say the name of each food.

Sound & Events#083 · Senses

Goal: Associate sounds and specific events
Materials: Toy and 2 sound sources
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 7 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Hide one of his favorite toys. Show him the toy and ring a bell or make another sound at the same time. After he has seen the toy, play a completely different sound and hide the toy. Repeat the sequence, always revealing the toy with one sound and hiding it with another. After a few times, the baby will begin to associate the sounds with the different actions.
Related milestone in the source: Remembers own actions in the immediate past.

Talking while Moving#087 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate visual memory
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Repeat 3+ times on each side
How to do it: Talk to your baby while you are walking away from him, continuing to speak when you are no longer visible. Then come back slowly while still talking to him. He will realize that the sound continues even if he can't see you and will begin to understand that volume varies with the distance.
Related milestone in the source: Object Permanence: is conscious that an object is partially hidden, is still there, and could reach it.

Window View#091 · Senses

Goal: Expand the baby's capacity to follow moving objects
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Put the baby close to a window where he can watch cars or people passing by.
Related milestone in the source: Turns head freely in both directions.

7–9 months · 19

Airplanes, Animals#094 · Senses

Goal: Associate sounds and specific objects
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Repeat 3 - 5 times
How to do it: Whenever you see an airplane, show it to him and say "Airplane." Then imitate the noise that an airplane makes and say again "Airplane." Also do this with animals and anything else that you can associate with a specific sound.
Related milestone in the source: Attempts to imitate noises or sounds produced by objects (e.g., "boom!").

Cardboard Box#101 · Senses

Goal: Differentiating between different textures
Materials: 2 pieces of thin cardboard, glue, sand or rice
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 3 - 5 minutes
How to do it: Find two pieces of similarly sized thin cardboard and glue sand or rice onto one of the pieces to create a rough texture and let it dry. Give the plain one to the baby and let him play with it, bending it, tearing it, folding it, or whatever else he wants to do. Then take the other piece and have him feel the new texture, explaining: "This is rice, it is rough." Reintroduce the first piece and explain that it is smooth. Let him play with the rough piece to manipulate it in the same way that he did the first.

Cold & Hot#106 · Senses

Goal: Differentiating between cold and hot
Materials: Ice, warm water
Time or repetitions: Repeat 3 - 5 times
How to do it: Have the baby touch a piece of ice while saying, "Cold." Immediately afterwards, repeat the exercise with warm water and say: "Hot."

Dancing#115 · Senses

Goal: Stimulating rhythm
Materials: Music
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 8 - 10 minutes
How to do it: Play different types of music for your baby. Dance with him to the different rhythms, telling him when you are moving quickly or slowly.
Related milestone in the source: Listens carefully to conversations and songs, understanding the difference in tones.

Differentiating Tones#116 · Senses

Goal: Differentiate between various vocal pitches
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Say a phrase to the baby, first using a high pitch tone, then a low tone. Repeat this exercise frequently.
Related milestone in the source: Listens carefully to conversations and songs, understanding the difference in tones.

Differentiating Volume#117 · Senses

Goal: Differentiate between high and low volume
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Repeat 2 - 4 times
How to do it: Say something to your baby using your normal conversational voice. Then get closer to her and whisper the same phrase. Move away and repeat the same sentence, but much louder.
Related milestone in the source: Listens carefully to conversations and songs, understanding the difference in tones.

Exploring Food Textures#121 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: Food
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 1 - 3 minutes
How to do it: While feeding the baby, let her touch the food with her hands so that she can discover different textures. Then have her take some of the food that she has touched to her mouth so that she can associate taste and texture.
Related milestone in the source: High propensity to taste, suck, and take everything to the mouth as a way to better understand and explore the world.

Exposure to Textures - VI#122 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: Objects with various textures and temperatures. i.e., tinfoil, cotton balls, sticky tape, a bottle with cold or warm drink, warm clothes after coming out of the dryer, etc.
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Select a few objects with different textures and temperatures such as crinkled tinfoil, cotton balls, sticky tape, bottles with a cold and warm drink, or warm clothes after coming out of the dryer. Give them to the baby one at a time, encouraging her to discover the textures with her hands, while describing the characteristics of the item.
Related milestone in the source: Inferior Pincer Grasp: grasps objects between index finger and thumb but uses the entire surface of each finger, rather than only the fingertips, to hold the object.

Fabrics#123 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: Baby's clothes (while getting dressed)
Time or repetitions: While dressing/undressing child
How to do it: While dressing the baby, have her touch the different pieces of clothing. When she touches each, explain the various textures. For example, "This is your sock, it is very soft cotton" or "Feel the bottom of your shoe, it is bumpy leather."

Face Movement - II#124 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate the baby's imitation skills
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Show the baby diverse facial expressions and try to have him imitate them. For example, yawn while making loud noises, puff out your cheeks, or move your lips in different ways.
Related milestone in the source: Has a mental model of the human face and becomes interested in the way it looks and its different forms of expression (e.g., happy face, sad face, etc.).

Fast & Slow Clapping#125 · Senses

Goal: Differentiating rhythms
Materials: Music
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 2 - 4 minutes
How to do it: Play music with different rhythms, clapping along to the beat. Encourage the baby to clap with you by exaggerating your clapping.
Related milestone in the source: Listens carefully to conversations and songs, understanding the difference in tones.

Finding the Sound Source - V#126 · Senses

Goal: Identify the source of a sound
Materials: Noisy toy
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5+ minutes
How to do it: Find a few different toys that make different noises when moved, like a rattle or a bell, and have the baby play with the toys. Over time she will associate the specific noise with the toy.
Related milestone in the source: Attempts to imitate noises or sounds produced by objects (e.g., "boom!").

Give Me 5, Bye Bye#131 · Senses

Goal: Increase the baby's level of response to verbal orders
Materials: None, just you
Time or repetitions: Perform throughout the day
How to do it: Teach the baby simple games and movements in reaction to verbal requests. For example, "Give me five!" or "Wave bye-bye!" and help her do the actions with her hands. Once she starts understanding the movement and the meaning of the words, she will start doing it on her own when you ask her.
Related milestone in the source: Waves goodbye (between months 7 and 10).

Play Dough#159 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: Play dough
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Give the baby a non-toxic play dough or edible dough and let her experiment with it while supervising. Show her how to poke and pinch it with her first two fingers and thumb.
Related milestone in the source: Radial Digital Grasp: grasps objects using index finger, middle finger and thumb.

Play Dough - II#160 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to textures
Materials: Non-toxic play dough (or silly putty), small non-sharp sticks
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 4 - 6 minutes
How to do it: Give the baby a ball of non-toxic play dough or pastry dough you make. Teach her to manipulate the ball with her hands, pulling it and stretching it until it breaks. Introduce the idea of different textures to her. With the plain ball of dough, you can say, "This is smooth." Have her put a few popsicle sticks into the dough and have her touch it, saying, "This is bumpy" or "This is hard."
Related milestone in the source: Inferior Pincer Grasp: grasps objects between index finger and thumb but uses the entire surface of each finger, rather than only the fingertips, to hold the object.

Pulling Out Objects#169 · Senses

Goal: Improve manual dexterity and provide exposure to different textures
Materials: 3 containers, 3 objects with different textures
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 8 - 10 minutes
How to do it: In each of three different containers, like a pot, a pitcher and a basket, place an object with a different texture. For example, a sponge in one, nail file in another, and stone in the third. Then put each container in a different position, perhaps one standing vertically, the other one facing one side and the third facing another side. Encourage the baby to get the object out of each container.

Reaching for Toy in Front - IV#171 · Senses

Goal: Understand cause-effect relationship
Materials: Blanket, toy
Time or repetitions: Suggested time: 5 - 8 minutes
How to do it: Put one of the baby's favorite toys on a small blanket and demonstrate that pulling the blanket brings the toy closer. Encourage any effort he makes to do it.

Smelling & Tasting#178 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate the baby's sense of smell
Materials: Food prepared for mealtime
Time or repetitions: While feeding baby
How to do it: When cooking or preparing meals, introduce different scents and flavors to the baby. As you let him smell and taste, say the name of each food.
Related milestone in the source: Begins to develop strong preferences for different food tastes.

Speakers#180 · Senses

Goal: Stimulate perception to vibration
Materials: Speaker or radio
Time or repetitions: Repeat 3 - 5 times
How to do it: Put the baby's hands on a radio, speaker, or another musical object that vibrates. Turn it on and off so that he can perceive the vibrations caused by music.