6 Month Old Activities to Boost Development
Many parents know that babies develop at different rates. So if you’re looking for ideas for 6 month old activities that will help boost their development, keep reading.
We’ve gathered 12 ideas of what you can do with your baby at home, in a fun and engaging environment. That way you can feel confident that you are helping your baby the best way you can.
Some of these activities build off of what you practiced when your baby was 3 months old. The difference is we’ve added an additional layer of complexity to give your baby a little bit of a challenge.
Here are some suggestions for activities what you can try out with your 6 month old baby. Remember, you are your baby’s best (and favorite) teacher💕
1. Rolling, rolling, rolling
The first of our 6 month old activities involves learning to roll! Rolling is one of the first gross motor development milestones your baby will learn! Let’s check to see if they already know how to do it!
Place your baby on their tummy or back with toys just out of reach. Does your baby roll between their back and tummy?
If not, you can start with what we learned when they were 3 months old and build from there.
Here’s a quick refresher on what we did at 3 months old. Place your baby on their back and hold a toy above their head. Move the toy in an arc motion, until the toy is laying next to them. Did your baby try to roll in order to follow the toy?
If they did, hooray! Now return back to the original rolling activity and see if it gets them moving.
2. Do yoga
Newsflash: Yoga is for babies, too! And the ability for all ages to participate makes it the perfect addition to our 6 month old activities list.
Make sure you give baby a lot of praise for trying. You probably didn’t master yoga in one day so we shouldn’t expect babies too, either!
3. Army crawl
Of course crawling would be mentioned as one of the developmental 6 month old activities, as it is the precursor to cruising. For this age group, we are featuring the army crawl.
Is your baby crawling on their belly? If not, get down on the ground and show them how it’s done.
But make sure the surface you’re crawling on is soft otherwise you might be in for a rude awakening.
4. Sitting pretty
When baby was 3 months old, you practiced having them sit assisted for up to 30 seconds. Now that baby is older, we’re going to up the ante to make it more appropriate for 6 month old activities.
See if they will sit on their own with/without support for more than 30 seconds.
If you’re like me, you might be nervous because they can fall forward, backward, and every which way.
Invest in a padded backpack to soften their fall or build a mountain of pillows around them.
5. Balloon fun
Next up is one of my favorite 6 month old activities to observe! Grab your phone and record a video. Trust me, you’re going to want to capture this moment.
All you have to do is place your baby on their back. Then, tie a helium-filled balloon to your baby’s foot.
Do they bring their feet towards their mouth or hands?
This is a creative way to help your baby strengthen their gross motor skills. It also helps them improve their visual tracking skills!
6. Hello and hide
This is a modified version of hide-and-seek, making it a perfect addition to our list of 6 month old activities. Here’s how to get started.
Call your baby’s name. Hide. See if they look for you.
Repeat but move to a different location.
You’re helping your baby refine their listening skills and improve their concentration.
7. Giggle, giggle
This is one of the simplest yet rewarding of the 6 month old activities, yet one that encourages baby’s social development.
Do something that you know will make your baby laugh. That’s it! Over time your baby will learn to laugh not only due to physical touch (a tickle), but also due to making cognitive connections about what they view as silly (like playing peek-a-boo).
What could be better than watching a baby giggle?
8. Open sesame
Bring a spoon toward their mouth. Do they open their mouth?
If not, time for you to demonstrate.
Babies learn so much from their favorite teacher – you!
9. Almost there
We practiced this when your baby was 3 months old, but since it it still relevant, we’ll keep it in our list of 6 month old activities. After all, this activity strengthens baby’s motor skills.
Place a few items slightly out of reach. Does your baby reach for them?
Continue practicing but gradually move the items farther away. How far is too far? A good indication is when baby gets frustrated.
10. Snack time
Most babies love snacks. But did you know there are 6 months old activities you can do to help boost development during snack time? Yaaas! 🙌🏾
If you give your baby a puff, do they use their fingers to pick it up? If not, don’t despair; just wait a few months.
Your baby will soon master the pincer grasp, which allows them to grab things with their thumb and index finger.
11. Slow motion
We added the game, ‘slow motion’, to the list of 6 month old activities because it gives you the opportunity to help your baby develop their visual tracking skills.
Move a toy from one side to another. Are your baby’s eyes able to follow the toy?
After they master this skill, they’ll soon develop eye-hand coordination.
12. Clap, clap
Though we listed this under 6 month old activities, this is something that you can work on with your baby well into their twelfth month.
Practice clapping with your baby. 👏🏾 While it is easy for adults to do, it takes an incredible amount of coordination for baby to master.
You might recall that babies try to do everything they see you do, so try to incorporate clapping into your daily routine.
The most natural way to do so is to clap when you’re expressing excitement or joy. Or try giving high fives to celebrate a small win!
Final Thoughts on Development Boosting 6 Month Old Activities
As a parent, you want to do what’s best for your baby so helping them develop is probably at the top of your to-do list.
We’ve rounded up a dozen 6 month old activities to help you accomplish the goals you’ve set for your baby. Most of them don’t require any supplies, which means you can do them anywhere.
Movements that come naturally to us take time for babies to master, so we’ve focused on rolling, crawling, laughing, clapping, reaching, and sitting.
The next time you’re in the waiting room of the doctor’s office or having a picnic in the park, remember that you’re equipped with the tools to practice an activity or two!
Looking for More Fun for Your 6 Month Old?
Read to your baby!
We’ve got some great book recommendations for 6 month old infants!
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