Activities for 3-6 months
In this period of 3 to 6 months we get to introduce tactile activities – a slow shift from visual to tactile. During this timeline we get to majorly focus on activities that support the baby’s visual , tactile and auditory development. Today I am sharing some of our play ideas for the age group 3 to 6 months.
NOTE : You don’t have to follow a strict timeline for these activities. I am sharing them based on how we worked on them, it may different between babies. You may use this as a guidance for you to have an idea of what type of activities you can try with your baby. Also you don’t need to necessarily have all the materials mentioned.
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1. TACTILE MOBILES
Tactile mobiles are designed such that it can be touched, grasped or even mouthed. M2 totally enjoyed all the mobiles we tried under this series – grabbing, pulling , batting, grasping – a beautiful transition from the visual development to development of the hand. Sharing some images of some of our tactile mobiles ideas below, I shall share a detailed blog on all the mobiles we used.
- Bell Chime is from our Curious cub Play kit : level 2 (Discount code : ATD5)
- Play scarves is from Toyroom Wooden Toys (Discount code : ATD10)
2. INTERLOCKING DISC
The interlocking discs are the first Montessori ball. Helps the baby practice hand-to-hand transfer. We introduced this to M2 when he was 3 months old. At first it acts as a great grasping toy. Interlocking discs also help the baby work on intentional grasping.
3. GRASPING TOYS | RATTLES | TEETHERS
At almost 3 months we had introduced M2’s first rattle – black & white crochet rattle. And then we moved on to the cylinder rattle (an alternative to the bell rattle) and then it was the grasping beads. M2 loved exploring different rattles/teethers/grasping toys – we managed to have a decent collection of these toys. The rattles help the baby associate movement with the sound.
future post : on the collection of rattles | teethers | grasping toys
Some of our toy recommendations for Age group 0 to 6 months can be found on “MY SHOP” (interlocking disc, rattles, teethers, grasping toys)
4. SENSORY BAGS | SENSORY BOTTLES
Sensory bag | Sensory bottles are super fun DIY activities that can’t be missed. There is no hard and fast rule about the materials that are going to be used, however I preferred to start with something very basic as I did not want to overwhelm my son. So, here is what went into our first sensory bag : clear water and some red pom poms popped into a ziploc ( and completely sealed). Our first sensory bottle had : clear water, few drops of coconut oil and few drop of red food colour – the bottle sealed on the top. I chose coconut oil for a fun reason – we live in a hill station, when the room temperature gets colder the oil in the bottle starts to freeze and it gives a different texture for play. There are plenty of activities that can be done during Tummy time or to encourage the baby to roll onto their tummy – this is one activity that helps in encouraging the baby and also helps in enhancing baby’s senses (especially touch).
5. DISCOVERY OF THE LEG
Another major milestone that the baby achieves during this period is the “discovery of their toes (legs)” – some simple fun activities can be planned like tying a helium balloon to the baby’s legs: as the baby moves his legs he can watch the balloons move. Play socks can also be used at this stage, just make sure it is completely safe as the baby will mouth it.
6. TREASURE BASKET
Our first Treasure Basket – M2 almost 6 months: I just put in some of his toys with different textures and shapes. The idea is to just let the baby discover the objects without any interruption / instructions from the adult. Later on these baskets can also be used a language basket, I made sure to use simple vocabulary. M2 loved the texture of the basket more that the objects in them, least attention was given to the objects. Initially he used to just flip the objects in the basket on to the mat and starts playing with the basket.
7. PEEK-A-BOO
The house is filled with laughter when the brothers play Peek-a-boo together. The elder brother (M1) was more than excited when he saw his little brother laugh aloud as they played. M2 was so good at this, he just covers his face pauses for a few seconds and then uncovers his face – he was superb with the timing. Sometimes M2 pull down the cap from the head to cover the eye to play Peek-a-boo. At a point it was Peek-a-boo everywhere all the time, it was so loved by the brothers.
8. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BALLS
Another material that was absolutely loved by M2 is “Balls”. We introduced different types of balls and it was a super hit. Some of the types of balls we used are fabric ball, sensory/textured balls , Skwish ball, crochet balls. Also, the fabric ball is the first object that M2 held above him using his hands and focused on. That is another small milestone that I would count on.was
