Some days it might feel like coming up with new games to play with your baby is impossible. This list will fix that! These activities for babies 6-9 months are great ideas to bond with your little one while creating new experiences for them as well!
I don’t know about you, but for me, 6-9 months was when life with a baby became incredibly fun. Of course, babies that are between the age of 0-5 months are soooo darling- I can’t argue that! But once 6-9 months hit, you really get bombarded by their personalities in the best way and the joy you feel is astounding.
When my baby was in this stage, I remember thinking, “Jeez! I don’t even have a baby anymore! He’s becoming a little boy!”
He was moving around more than ever, the way he was sitting up on his own, crawling around on his hands and knees, and using objects nearby to pull himself up to a standing position. He was babbling, smiling, and laughing and as curious as can be.
So with his new developments came more games!
*Remember, whatever activity your baby is doing, make sure they are well supervised and in a safe environment. Do not leave your baby alone!
Now, did you see my previous posts about activities for babies 0-3 months and baby activities 3-6 months? Well, whether you did or not, both posts contain games that can carry over and be played with your 6-9 month old! Either the games will naturally adapt as you play them with your baby, or you just need to make small changes in order to make it entertaining for their age.
These activities posts are really about when you can typically START playing these games with your child (based on my experience), not when you have to stop. Keep playing them forever!
So, with a previous list of 33 activities, a previous list of 27, PLUS this list of 40? You are lookin’ at a grand total of 100 activities for babies 6-9 months that you can play with your little nugget!!!!
Wooooah mama, slow down!
Let’s get into it.
This post is all about activities for babies 6-9 Months.
LIVELY Activities For Babies 6-9 Months
1. “I’m gonna getchu!”:
Once your baby starts crawling, you can teach them this chasing game. You simply start by saying, “Hey (insert baby’s name), iiii’m gonna getchuuuu!!!” You reach your arms out and slowly advance towards them. I like to look mischievous, but you can wear whatever face you want 😂 You can stand and walk towards them, or you, yourself, can crawl.
Ideally, they will learn to start crawling away from you as fast as they can. You let them crawl a little ways before you catch up to them. Then you tickle their sides or lift them in the air saying, “I GOTCHUUUUU!” This is a fun game to pay when they start walking as well!
2. Looking out the window:
Maybe this sounds boring to you or maybe it sounds relaxing. I love doing this with my baby. I sit on a chair in front of the window, I put my baby in my lap, and we look outside. We watch everything. The trees and leaves blow in the wind, the cars drive by, the squirrels scurry around. It’s especially fun to let babies watch the rain or the snow fall.
The window itself is a fun toy, so also letting your little one touch the window or put their face up to it can make it more entertaining for both of you.
You can take this activity outside if you want to sit on the patio or even on the side of the road. There have been times when I have parked my camping chair on the sidewalk and held my baby while we watched the world around us.
3. Throw in the air:
Throwing isn’t for everyone and can honestly give some moms a heart attack, but babies can be ecstatic about this! And throwing your baby up in the air doesn’t mean that you have to throw them up high. Your hands don’t even have to leave their bodies if that makes it more comfortable for you! Just playing around with height can create different sensations for your little one.
This is an enjoyable game for dads to play, especially with a baby boy. It allows for a little rough play and keeps dad and baby smiling.
4. Eating solids / food play:
Once you start to introduce solids, you can spend a good amount of time feeding them and letting them play with baby safe foods. It’s great for them to explore textures and learn about what they are eating.
It is absolutely hilarious to watch your little baby munch on delicious foods or try things they have never eaten before. Plus, it’s a great time for them to practice fine motor skills as they try to pick up little pieces of food with their little fingers.
5. Bed Peek a Boo:
My little boy has loved this game! You can place them in the middle of the bed, then hide on the side of the bed. Peek your head up so that your baby sees where you are and say, “Peek a boo!” Duck your head back down and repeat. Your baby will crawl towards you and look over the edge at you to see where you are. Just be watchful so that they don’t crawl off the edge of the bed and fall.
Another version of this takes place on the floor next to the bed. You can use any big object really, like a couch. Place your baby on the floor, then hide on the floor by the side of the bed where they can’t see you. Poke your head around the corner, (for this one I like to say “Yoo hoo!” Hah!) and then disappear again. It’s cute to hear their little excited voice as they try to find you!
6. Hide and seek:
Another way to play a hiding game is to hide in another room, making sure to allow time for your baby to watch what room you go into. Make sounds that they can hear or call out their name so they continue to look for you until they find you! You can also hide underneath a blanket, peeking out every so often to show them where you are. They will come over to the blanket and try to look underneath it.
7. Practice Walking:
During this stage, it is common for babies to learn to stand with the help of objects. Maybe they will even learn to stand on their own. But you can influence them to take the next step towards walking by walking with them around the house.
Hold onto both of their hands as you walk behind them, urging them forward. Walk with them in all sorts of directions- forwards, backwards, to the side. As a parent, you can walk behind them or get down and walk on your knees. Sometimes leaning over for too long can be uncomfortable on your back.
8. Instrumental play:
Playing instruments in front of and/or with your little one can take their interests to a whole new level. Of course baby versions of instruments are cute, but it is exciting to introduce them to real ones.
If you have a piano or keyboard at home, let them bang on the keys. If you have bongos, let them drum. Or if there’s a guitar around, show them how to strum the strings. Exposing your little one to music this way will expand their abilities while also being an enjoyable activity.
9. Play in clean laundry:
Whenever I try to fold clothes or towels, my baby comes over and unfolds everything, just for fun 😛 Make this a game! Sit on the floor with your baby and throw a washcloth on top of their head. They will reach up to remove it, and when they do, throw another one.
You can also put laundry on top of your own head and let your baby remove it as well. Not to mention that playing in warm laundry is especially cozy!
10. Hiding toys:
This is a game that my baby finds especially entertaining. I will sit on the ground, with my knees bent and my feet flat on the floor. I will take smaller toys or stuffed animals and hide them around my leg, peeking them up over my leg to look at my baby, then I hide them again. My baby has a lot of fun trying to maneuver around my legs to try to find the item I am hiding!
You can also take an object and hide it in a cupboard, behind a pillow, in a shoe, etc. You just want to make sure your baby is watching you. The goal is for them to go looking for it after you have hidden it. It is extra fun to use toys that make sound or play music!
11. Vacuum:
My baby loves the vacuum! I’m not sure why. But whenever I get the vacuum out, he gets really excited. So, I’ll just vacuum the house and let him chase it around. I let him touch it every once in a while and then I move on, forcing him to chase it again. It’s a great way to tire him out from all the movement, but vacuuming does go a little slower this way 😛 And when it comes to activities for babies 6-9 months, you hope that this love for the vacuum sticks around through his teenage years!
12. Remove the clips:
I have little clips in the shape of stars that I can place around the house for decoration. When my baby and I first discovered this game, I had the stars clipped to a mini Christmas tree in his bedroom. He went over to the tree and found the clips himself, removing them one by one from the branches on the tree. I would put the clips back onto the tree and he would remove them again. It became a simple little game that we played quite often.
13. “Treasure” basket:
Take a bunch of baby friendly objects and put them in some sort of basket or tote. You can include things like baby toys, washcloths, a hairbrush, a wooden spoon from the kitchen or a spatula, books, gloves, scarves, a closed can of food, etc. Try to include objects that have different textures, sizes, and weights. Then let your baby empty the basket to find all of the different “treasures” inside.
14. Find a tickle spot:
This is the perfect stage to torture them with tickling! Before 6 months, babies usually just look at you weird when you try to tickle their sides or their neck, etc. They don’t really understand the sensation or they don’t know how to respond, or something like that. I’m not sure why 😂
I do know that when my baby hit this age, I noticed him react more to our tickles, smiling and giggling a little, and it just became more prominent with time and he has become more ticklish! It’s fun to tickle them with your hands or bury your face in their neck, nibbling below their jaw and chin. And they just laugh and laugh and it’s utterly adorable 🥰
15. Baby massage:
Do you ever wonder if your baby’s muscles get sore? Well, they do 😂 They are working so hard trying to learn how to move all of their little limbs and they get tired! Their calves get tight from standing on their tippy toes, their shoulders hold tension from balancing their big head, and their arms are learning to lift heavier objects. These babies are literally working out for most of the day!
Take some time to put some lotion on your baby and massage their muscles. It can be in the morning when they wake up, after a nice bath, or right before bedtime. You can make it relaxing for them or silly!
16. Pulling objects off shelves:
During this stage, my baby went around the house and pulled anything he could reach off of the shelves, over and over again. So we made it a game!
I put anything that was baby appropriate along the edges of shelves where he could reach. And not just baby toys, but household objects that were safe for him to grab and play with to give him more of a variety. You can challenge his reach by putting objects on shelves that are a little higher or lower than others and see if he can figure out how to get it!
17. Opening cupboards:
Opening cupboards became a daily activity at my house. Any cupboard he could find, he was trying to open and close. It was pretty repetitive, but I feel like it taught him that some things aren’t always as simple as they seem.
18. Rolling cans of food:
Take a few cans of food from your pantry and let your baby roll them around the floor! This is a fun activity when it comes to the aspect of cylinders, and different weights, and is extremely different than rolling a ball around. Kinda a weird option for activities for babies 6-9 months, but my boy keeps playing it even now at 11 months old!
19. Hide objects under clear containers:
Test your baby by seeing if they notice objects that are hiding underneath clear containers, like tupperware. Especially with colored objects, your baby will wonder what is inside that they can kinda see, but not see fully. Intriguing!
20. Playing in the curtains:
My baby discovered the curtains during this stage, and hiding behind them became a very common thing for him to do. He would grab them and wave them around, play peek-a-boo, or rub his face on the fabric. It’s amazing how something so basic can be such a fun experience for your little one!
21. Magic show:
Hold a small object in the palm of your hand and hold out both hands to your baby, palmside down. You might need to open your hand up to show your baby that there is an object inside, then close it again. Your baby will take your hand and turn it over to find the object. Open your hand to either show them the object, or to show them your empty hand!
22. Play with wet sponges:
Let your baby play with wet sponges! They will squeeze the water out of the sponge, learn to grasp it, maybe even suck the water out of it, whatever! This can be done in the bathtub or in a little water zone you create outside of the bath. And if the sponges are different colors, even better!
23. Show them how to do laundry:
If your laundry machines have a see through lid, this can be mesmerizing! Take your baby into the laundry room and let them look through the lid. They will see the water pouring in, the clothes spinning around, hear the “whoosh” of the machine as it cleans. You can even take their finger and assist them as they push the buttons necessary to start the whole process.
And who knows! Maybe pretty soon they will want to help you with the laundry 😛
24. Drop balls through a tube:
Find a tube of some sort. It can be a paper towel roll or a piece of pvc pipe. Find toy balls (or any object that fits easily) and show your baby how to drop them through the tube. Show your baby that the object comes out the other end!
25. Tug of war:
You might not think this game fall under activities for babies 6-9 months, but it’s not just a game for you and your dog! Using a towel or a blanket, you can play tug of war with your baby. Give them one end of the fabric while you hold the other and pull on it, back and forth.
26. Play with Hats:
Don’t forget to model in the mirror so they can see what they look like with different hats on! This helps them recognize their own reflection, because it stays the same while the hats change.
27. Aura photos:
We have an Aura frame set up at our house. My baby really enjoys looking at the photos that are presented on the screen. It’s a great way for you to teach them the names of family members, especially if you have family out of state. They become familiar with the faces that are shown and the names you attach to them over and over again. My baby also really likes to see his “mama” and “dada” on the Aura, as well as himself 😛
28. Where’s mama?:
Get out of your baby’s view and ask, “Where’s mama?” Repeat this until they turn to look at you. Acknowledge that they found you, and then find another place to go that’s out of their sight to ask the question again. This will help your baby learn your name better!
29. Play with mail:
My baby likes to get into the mail! This activity needs supervision since paper gets all soggy when wet, but can definitely be a safe activity as long as you watch them. The crinkling of paper can be an engaging sound to them.
30. Brush their teeth:
Once your baby gets a few teeth (and honestly, even before then), you can let them play with a toothbrush. I will usually get out my own toothbrush and “brush” my teeth while my baby watches me. I am quite dramatic about it, it might be scary to see hahah! Then I hand my baby his baby toothbrush and let him chew on it. I will even take the brush from him and brush his teeth for as long as he will let me!
Gotta create those healthy habits, people! (I do this with floss picks as well, but it’s trickier at this stage. It’s still good for them to see you floss, though! So, consider this your reminder from a former dental assistant.)
31. Bang pots:
Although it falls under noisy activities for babies 6-9 months, I don’t blame them for liking this game! Give your baby a kitchen pot and a wooden spoon, allowing them to create the most beautiful rhythm you have ever heard!
32. Fabric in a tube:
Take a toilet paper roll and stuff it with some fabric. You can use a neck scarf, a hair scarf, a robe tie, etc. Show your baby the end of the fabric piece that is peeking out of the tube. Teach them how to pull on the end of it to remove it from the tube, then repeat!
33. Play with trucks:
My little boy is a fan of cars. So, I will take a toy truck and zoom it around the floor next to him. I’ll even drive the toy on him! Over his arms, over his head, on his legs and back. I’ll make the truck do all sorts of tricks and flips, all while making a car sound. Once I “park” the car, he will grab it and hand it back to me, wanting me to do it all over again!
After doing this for a bit of time, he learned to grab the cars himself and wheel them around the floor.
34. Door stoppers:
This is the stage where babies typically start crawling. And once they crawl, they are exploring every little nook and cranny. I remember watching my boy crawl around until he found a door stopper, and he would spring that thing over and over again! Door stoppers are such an easy and fun distraction for your baby.
35. Pass a ball:
Sit on the floor in front of your baby. Take a toy ball and bounce it towards them, or roll it. Encourage them to pass it back to you! It won’t be perfect, but pretty soon they will get the idea and pass it the best they can!
36. Beach ball:
Take a beach ball and pass it to your baby! This is a fun switch up from the smaller balls your baby might be used to playing with. Since a beach ball is much larger, it can be interesting for them to practice grabbing it and throwing it around. It’s also fun if you toss it up in the air and try to get your baby to watch it as it gets high and then drops.
37. Independent Play In The Crib:
Teaching your baby to play by themselves is a wonderful skill for them to develop. I might have started implementing this when my baby was 5 months, but I don’t remember. For sure by 6 months though!
Basically, when my baby would wake up in the morning, after I fed him, changed his diaper, yatta yatta yatta, I would put him back into his crib with some of his toys and books. Then I would leave and close the bedroom door behind me. He would play with his toys for 5-10 minutes, then cry for me to come get him. Then I would do it again the next day, and the next, and the next. With each day, my baby would play by himself a little bit longer. Now, there are mornings when he will play in his crib for an hour!
You can also implement this before/after naps or before bed. There have been many times when I have fed him, but he’s not tired, so I let him play alone, and he tires out and puts himself to sleep 😂
This activities for babies 6-9 months also gives mama extra time to herself 😉
38. Knock down towers:
Let your little one get a bit destructive! It’s difficult for them to start building towers at this stage, but they can knock them over. So, build a tower for them and show them how it’s done! You can use building blocks if you have them or baby stacking cups. You can even use cheap plastic drinking cups from the store!
39. Activity cube:
You can purchase an activity cube for your little one that has a bunch of sensory games attached to it. These cubes not only encourage creativity, but also create an opportunity for problem-solving and logical thinking.
40. Light switches:
Allow your baby to practice their fine motor skills by flipping a light switch on and off. It also teaches them that there is a connection with the switch and the light above, which is going to confuse them, but intrigue them as well haha!
Let’s wrap this up.
Life with a 6-9 month old starts becoming more energetic and active. Having a bunch of ideas for games is going to be a saving grace! And it’s only the start hahaha especially if you have a little boy, like me. He is almost 1 years old now and wants to be everywhere and in everything, all at once. #lifeofaboymom
Please comment below if you have any games that you love playing with your little 6-9 month old! Especially if you have a boy, because I am always looking for ways to entertain that little nugget of mine <3
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