Games with babies – this is how you keep the little bundles of joy between 0 and 12 months busy

Anyone who thinks that children only start playing when they are crawling is wrong. Even smaller babies want to be kept busy and entertained. In addition, the baby develops its mobility and learns the many new and interesting things from its environment and the world in general. In other words, playing is an important part of a child’s development and that from the first few months onwards. Only the type of games with the baby differ depending on the age or month. We’ll give you a few creative ideas on how to play with babies and encourage development at the same time.

Play with baby in the first few months

The newborn does not yet have any real requirements when it comes to playing. His sense of sight is far from well developed and in principle it is initially only “interested” in sleeping and eating. However, this changes after a few months and even if playing in the real sense (with toys) only makes sense from about 6 months, there are quite a few things you can do with your baby before that. Here are a few ideas for games with babies from 0 to 3 months:

Games with babies up to 3 months

• Just look at it – The newborn does not need anything else in the first few weeks to be busy. Approach your baby’s face within 30 to 40 cm (the ideal distance for the baby’s underdeveloped sense of sight) and just look at their eyes.
• Move your arms and at the same time promote mobility – Since it has been quite tight in the mother’s belly in the last few weeks, this embryonic position is still gladly assumed by the babies after the birth. Some babies are less flexible and some are more flexible. You can playfully improve mobility by grasping your arms and carefully spreading them apart and then crossing them over your chest. Be careful not to apply too much pressure or tension and make slow movements. You can also train your legs by “riding a bike”.

• Slide through the apartment – Take a baby blanket, place the baby comfortably on it (on its back) and gently and slowly pull it across the room on the floor. This trains his sense of balance, but is more suitable from the 3rd month onwards.
• carousel – You can also train your sense of balance by grabbing the blanket at all corners and lifting it up a little with the baby (just enough for it to hang in the air). For safety reasons, you can do this over the large parents’ bed or over a soft carpet or other soft surface. Then carefully and slowly turn the baby in the blanket in a circle, like in a carousel.
• Sing with eye contact strengthens the bond and the baby finds these beautiful melodies really interesting, especially since it is the mother’s voice that sings and the baby already knew it before it was born. Accordingly, you can also play songs or music that you heard during pregnancy. The baby will recognize you! Meanwhile, you can also carry it around and weigh it. A baby carrier would be very practical. It is best to choose slow and calm songs so as not to scare the baby. In addition, the hearing is still very sensitive and could be damaged.

• Of the Aviator grip is a really pampering thing – the baby feels the closeness of mom or dad, is carried around and rocked and also receives a pleasant massage for the stomach. To do this, the baby lies on your forearm directly in front of your stomach, with your hand between your legs. The baby’s arms and legs hang loosely down – like a panther on a branch!
• Newborn babies don’t see colors yet. Light games with the flashlight are therefore ideally suited and will fascinate the baby! So if you are looking for games with babies for the evening hours, this is a good choice. But you can also simply darken the room during the day and play with the flashlight.

Baby games between 3 and 6 months

The baby now watches a lot and follows everything around him with interest. Your touch is particularly pleasant and if you also integrate the baby’s arms and legs while playing, the whole thing becomes even more fun. Here are some of the baby games you can try out:

• Finger games for babies do not require any special materials and aids and are therefore wonderfully suitable for spontaneous activities for the little ones, even when they are on the go. There are various rhymes for this, which you can also find on the net. While you are reciting such rhymes (the baby is on your lap or in a stretcher), you can play with your fingers, touch the baby or even include his or her arms and legs. Such crawling verses are great for development and are perfect for playing with 4 months old and older babies.

• Soap bubbles are not only popular with older children. These shiny and shimmering flying objects also fascinate babies very much. At first, the little bullies will just watch them and analyze their interesting looks. But at some point you will also be curious about how this strange thing feels, and the baby will want to touch it with his hands. So you can make the soapy water yourself.
• If mom or dad dress up, is that very interesting for the baby. It knows your faces really well by now and will notice any change immediately. For example, put on a cap or hat, then glasses or a carnival nose and watch your baby’s funny reactions.

• plane as an idea for games with babies – mom or dad lay their backs on the floor, bend their legs and place the baby on their shins with their tummy down. The legs are then, so to speak, the plane that gently moves the baby back and forth. Funny grimaces can be made for even more fun and don’t forget a few humming airplane noises! This is one of those games with babies in which the muscles are strengthened, and in this case specifically the back muscles. You will surely feel how the baby tenses his body.

• A game that you are probably familiar with from your childhood is Hoppe Hoppe Reiter and we are sure your baby will love it. Since you will be holding it tightly, it does not necessarily have to be stable, but it definitely has to be able to hold its head well. Otherwise you will have to support it with your hands. Depending on the age of the baby, you can also imitate the fall of the rider. But even without it, your sunshine will have fun!

• Themselves To look at photos Even the little ones find it very interesting, especially if they are familiar faces (or animals). You can even photograph familiar objects (pacifiers, cuddly toys, favorite toys, etc.). If you are worried that the children’s hands could smudge the photos, you can also put them in small bags. If you like, you can simply use your mobile phone for this purpose.
• That Make the evening bath even more fun – Babies who can sit alone in the bathtub naturally like to play with toys while mom or dad wash them. But instead of just using toys, you can add a few new and interesting objects to the bathing fun. Collect colorful leaves or flowers, chestnuts, bark or other natural materials and let them swim with you in the water. The baby will try to reach for the objects, which can be very tricky in the water and promotes your sweetheart’s fine motor skills.

Baby games from 6 to 9 months

At 6 months the baby is already more alert and games with babies from 6 months to 9 months can be a little more exciting than before. Here are a few ideas:

• Outside with Paint in chalk is a great idea for summer when the weather is nice. Just put the baby in the driveway or on the sidewalk in the park, give them chalk and show them the wonderful things they can do with it. You will be amazed how lines suddenly appear on the floor.
• If the weather is not so nice, indoor activities are of course suitable. One simple toilet roll, that you stick on the wall at an angle may attract the attention of babies of this age for some time. Through this role, the child can then roll pompons or small balls. See how happy it is that the objects stuck in it suddenly reappear below.

• New noises it’s really fun to discover. What does the world have to offer? Rustling bags, rice or peas in a can, wooden sticks that are beaten together or, if your nerves can take it, beating pots with a wooden or even metal spoon. All of this is so interesting! It’s that easy to make games yourself with an 8-month-old baby.
• The so-called Sensory bottles are other great baby games that babies can use to discover the world. You can find out more about this in our article.

Games with babies from 9 to 12 months

Games with babies become even more interesting in the last few months of the first year of life. It can be doodled and built with building blocks, crawled and walked. The child keeps showing new interests, yes, in principle everything is interesting. That is why the game options are now quite numerous. Here are a few ideas for playing games with babies aged 9 to 12 months:

• Colours are particularly interesting and even if the coordination with the hands is far from perfect, the little ones can experiment with pens and colors. If you’re concerned about the beautiful furniture and walls, there is a great trick you can use: get a large cardboard box, put the child in it, and let them paint the sides and floor as they please. For this, you can choose felt-tip pens, crayons and even finger colors (everything under supervision, of course). If the temperature in the room allows, the child can even paint and draw in a diaper only. But of course a classic sheet of paper with plenty of documents is also suitable.
• Pegging games promote children’s motor skills and are one of the classics for games with babies aged 10 months and older. In fact, you probably already have at least one game at home. A great idea that provides variety are simple CDs with a spindle. On the one hand, these are very interesting because they reflect and sparkle. On the other hand, they can be attached to the spindle.

• Feel and dig delighted with simple products from the kitchen. Put dry food such as rice, lentils, pasta or the like in a large box and then the child can reach for it, let the grains trickle in or fill a small bowl with them. You can also experiment with a spoon.
• That is also very popular Activity Board, that you can design yourself completely individually. This is a larger board on which you can attach locks, chains, wheels, pipes, lamps with light switches and much, much more. It is guaranteed to keep the baby willing to experiment for a long time and at the same time promotes fine motor skills and logical thinking. Here you can find out how you can make an activity board yourself.