Activities To Do With Your 9-12 Month Old
As a SAHM, you get into this groove. It may not ever be the groove you want, nor strive to achieve, but yet its a groove. Minutes pass, hours pass, and sooner than later your day has vaporized and you wonder, “did I make the most of TODAY with my little one?” “Did I utilize my knowledge to its fullest extent to breathe into my little ones life?” “Was today fun for him?” “Did he do anything new and exciting?” Maybe you don’t wonder these types of things, but I do!
I wanted to make note of some activities that I have done, am trying to do, or hoping yet to accomplish throughout our little daily life. It is so hard to remember these things when you are just in your “groove.” Some activities are just plan fun, some are obvious and others are to hopefully teach your little one a thing or two. I also found that when they are 0-8 or so months old things are pretty similar to each of their activities. Once they are fully mobile and on the move a LOT, having different activities are hard to keep up with. They are going going going and into everything everything everything. So that is why these are also geared toward the 9-12 month learning curve. I also utilized the “power of social media” to combine this list. So for every activity idea that was given to me, the actual author will be noted. Feel free to poke around their Mommy site too if I have tagged one!
Activities To Do With Your 9-12 Month Old
- Story time – Gentry loves books to be read to him. So much so, that he will have a full on MELTDOWN the minute you say “All Done!” and motion the sign language “all done”. Which leads me to the next activity…
- Learning Sign Language – I have been trying to teach Sign Language to Gent since he was around 4 months old. He has not quite picked up sign to do it himself yet, however he does understand some sign if you show him. Every day I feel like he makes small improvements.
- Blowing Bubbles – Showing them how bubbles float down to them may stir up some belly laughs! Maybe an outdoor activity or a bath-time activity!
- Learning to put blocks in a bucket.
- Stacking rings on the “stacking rings toy” by himself/herself.
- Letting them feel different textures. I like to bring out some different ribbon for Gentry to play with (supervised of course). I also love to give him new fruit to hold in his hands (too large for him to fit into his mouth).
- Learning body parts – Pointing to different parts of your body and repeating what they are (submitted by _lifeofahousewife_ on Instagram)
- Stacking & Pushing – “I got him mega blocks and he stacked those. I got him trucks and he pushed those along.” (submitted by k_best11 on Instagram)
- Learning to clap & wave.
- Mimicking each other with faces and gestures.
- Giving items around the house that aren’t toys by are safe to explore (i.e. boxes).
- Laundry Time – Teaching how to take items out of the basket.
- Rolling balls into Laundry baskets. (items 9-13 are from my very sweet close friend Emily N.)
- Singing throughout the day – “Both babies loved when I’d repetitiously make a song out of any and everything we’d do. I’d have one for waking up, clean up, meal times, bedtimes and lots of made up tunes in between. I’m sure Simon Cowell would’ve croaked if he heard them but they thought I was a rock star and love the security and routine they provided.” (submitted from shavonneupdike blogger at http://www.updikeupdates.blogspot.com/)
- Verbalizing your day – “I’d verbalize everything I would do and would also continue to talk to them about what I was doing after I’d leave the room so they’d hear that I was still around.” (submitted from shavonneupdike blogger at http://www.updikeupdates.blogspot.com/)
- Puzzles with locks and brackets on it lets them be exploratory safely.
- Hand Painting – with berries! Mash up some berries and let your little go to town sans chemicals! Get a little bit crafty and put tape shapes or words on the paper first and once its dry, remove tape to reveal their masterpiece. (submitted by _staceyjean_ on Instagram)
- Exploring the diaper bag – Make sure everything that the baby shouldn’t get into is zipped up. Lots of different and interesting items in a diaper bag that can easily distract and keep your little busy! (submitted by lifeasahappycupcake blogger at http://www.thehappycupcakeblog.blogspot.com/)
- Practicing pincher grabbing with Cheerios or puffs. (submitted by mrs_mompreneur on Instagram)
- Practicing feeding themselves. (submitted by ldarsee on Instagram)
Pots, pans and other kitchen fun
- Banging on pots and pans and letting your little explore them. Having an area of the kitchen just for your little will also be beneficial.
- Putting ice in a container and letting them feel the ice (with 100% supervision).
- Pretend stirring with a toy in a pot or pan and a big spoon.
- Bathtime in the kitchen sink and letting your little play with cups or spoons. (Thank you Stevy for items 16 & 1-4)
- Feel cool temperatures – my kid loooooves to be in the fridge & freezer.
- Spices – Letting your little breathe in some new scents with different spices in your cupboard. Gentry isn’t too thrilled with this one since he just wants to eat what ever is on my hand hehe.
Have some more activities that need to go on this list? Comment below or email me!
xoxo,