Playing games with your baby elicits the best sound in the earth: that adorable giggle. Her little torso may shake and her face definitely lights up when you hibernate and so reveal your face up or sing a silly song about a spider in a rainstorm.

Of course, you can purchase toys that light upward and play tunes, but more often simple playthings are the best teachers. And babies tend to have the most fun when they interact with their favorite people (that's you!). Yous'll be pedagogy new words to expand her vocabulary, how to move her torso to the beat and all about counting and rhythm.

From finger games to clapping rhymes, hither are the best games to play with your baby.

Best games for babies: 0-6 months

Your baby'south still very immature, simply equally her sight develops and her power to appoint with y'all improves, yous'll observe she's thrilled to "play" the following games over and over.

  • Tin can you lot hear me now?Your baby loves the sound of human being voices (especially yours!). And learning to locate the source of a sound when information technology'due south further away is first-class fun. Put her in a baby carrier then walk around the room while talking or singing, or making a variety of funny noises. She may not exist able to fully turn her head toward your position, but she can hear differences in your vocalisation'due south sound as yous move. This game is the foundation of hibernate-and-seek and peekaboo — and information technology helps build a baby's auditory and visual tracking skills.
  • Peekaboo. Cover your face (employ your hands or a cloth diaper), and enquire, "Where'southward Mommy?" She'll probably reward you with a gummy grin (or giggle) when yous reveal your face up and exclaim, "Peekaboo!" So repeat, repeat, echo. You tin also play peekaboo with your baby using toys by hiding them nether a cloth and then revealing them with a flourish. This game teaches object permanence, the concept that things don't vanish when out of sight.
  • Itsy-bitsy spider. Touch your alphabetize finger to your right pollex, then swap back and forth to turn your hands into spiders: "The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the h2o spout." Now brand your fingers into falling rain: "Downward came the rain and washed the spider out." Sweep your hands and arms up into a sun shape: "Out came the dominicus and dried up all the rain." At present back to spider fingers: "And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout once more."
  • Patty-cake. Clap infant's hands together as yous recite, "Patty-cake, patty-cake, bakery's man! Bake me a block every bit fast as you tin." Help her "pat" and "roll" as yous continue: "Pat information technology, and roll it, and marking it with a B." And then, "Put it in the oven for baby and me!" Vary the game past substituting your infant'southward name, or switching to her feet: "Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker's feet! Bake me a treat that'due south skilful to consume.…"
  • Make a funny face. Yup — your goofy face up can stimulate your baby's social, visual and emotional development — plus her listening skills. Endeavor a smile, a big, open up mouth, raised eyebrows or a stuck-out tongue. Don't be surprised if your babe tries to practice the same affair — even tiny infants tin can imitate facial expressions. Make some quiet ahhhh noises to hold her attending, but if she keeps turning away, she may accept had plenty for the moment.
  • This little piggy.Starting with the big toe, the pigs "went to market," "stayed home," "ate roast beef," "had none," and (the pinky toe; tickle all the style up her torso with this one!) "cried wee, wee, wee, all the manner home." This beautiful game is a fun i to play in the bathtub.
  • Eyes, nose, mouth. Here's some other adorable game that'll teach social skills and help you bond with your babe. Hold your baby's hands and guide them to bear upon your ain eyes, nose and mouth, and then give her a kiss: "Eyes, nose, mouth, smooch!"
  • And then big!You're teaching her big and pocket-size with this activeness. Start by holding your baby's easily. Then ask, "How big is babe?" (Or ameliorate yet, apply her name.) And then spread her artillery wide and answer, "Sooooo large!"
  • Tickle time. A baby's peel is super sensitive (and irresistibly touchable), so now'southward a bang-up time to aid her explore the world through her sense of affect. Gather items with a variety of interesting textures, similar cotton fiber assurance, feathers, tissues, a comb or pieces of fabric. So place your baby on a coating on the floor and gently brush the objects across her tender breadbasket, leg or cheek. Your running commentary makes it more interactive ("Isn't this soft?" "Doesn't this tickle?").
  • Mirror play. A simple baby-prophylactic mirror helps your baby'south eyes to focus equally she picks up new words and learns what a face up can exercise. Permit her gaze at her own image or join her in the background and make some airheaded faces (run across higher up) or describe what's she's seeing.

Games to Assistance Baby Develop

Best games for babies: 6-12 months

Your baby's now able to grasp things and she's starting to creep and crawl, and maybe fifty-fifty have her kickoff steps equally she approaches her first birthday. These games for older infants take advantage of a longer attending bridge and her burgeoning motor skills.

Go along Reading Below

  • Stacking game. Once your babe has developed ameliorate center-hand coordination, she'll beloved to try building and stacking. Whatsoever objects that can be placed on top of each other will do: Endeavour offering her wooden, foam or cardboard blocks — or plastic cups or a fix of stacking rings. And while she might need your help erecting her skyscraper, she'll definitely want to knock information technology downwardly herself. Stacking teaches problem solving and the concept of size.
  • Boob play. A new plushy friend (or a bootleg sock puppet) might inspire yous to sing a different song or tell a story. Maybe your previously picky eater will open broad for lunch if a puppet is wielding the spoon or bath-balky baby volition savor the tub more with a washable puppet bath mitt. Puppets tin play peekaboo, deed out stories or songs, and continue your baby company in unfamiliar places. They encourage her to imagine (hey — that lilliputian bunny is talking to me!), focus (wait a minute, what'southward happening here?), laugh (listen to that silly voice!) and talk (let me get in on this conversation!).
  • Oopsie game. Does your baby merrily toss her spoon overboard — over and over and over over again — and giggle with glee every fourth dimension you return it to her? She's not actually trying to drive you crazy. Instead, she'due south learning about cause and result ("When I throw this, Dad picks it up! Cool!") and object permanence ("I tin can't encounter information technology under my chair, merely in that location it is again!").
  • Pop! Goes the weasel.Concord baby on your lap and sing, "All around the mulberry bush-league, the monkey chased the weasel, the monkey stopped to pull up his sock…Pop! goes the weasel." As you dirge the last line, gently pop your baby upwards with your knees. Once she gets the thought, wait a few seconds before the Pop! then she can effigy out how (and when) to pop on her own.
  • Zig zag game. Whether she'due south crawling, cruising or fifty-fifty tottering her way effectually, you can claiming her world of mobility by constructing a picayune obstacle course. Gear up up a series of pillows, stuffed animals, books and toys on the floor. Then hold your baby's hands or crawl alongside her as y'all guide her effectually and over those objects. This activity boosts gross motor skills, coordination, residuum and lower-torso strength.
  • Flashlight fun. Place a slice of colored tissue paper or a sheer scarf over the end of the flashlight. (Hold your "filter" in identify with masking tape or a rubber band.) And then shine that beautiful beam around the room, letting the light dance across your baby'southward ceiling, walls, toys and toes! Narrate the bear witness every bit you lot experiment with concepts such as fast and tedious, high and low, and dorsum and along. Or play chase the beam! Smooth the flashlight on the floor (or the wall or fifty-fifty the grass out in your yard), and encourage your infant to grab it.
  • Two little blackbirds. Tap this little ditty out with two fingers — and equally one bird flies away, hide your mitt behind your back (your baby will wonder where it went!). Then, when the bird returns, bring your mitt back around. Here's how it goes: "Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill. I named Jack and 1 named Jill. Fly away Jack, fly away Jill. Come dorsum Jack, come back Jill."
  • Curlicue a ball. It doesn't get any simpler than a ball of whatsoever size rolled back and forth between you and your baby (earlier she'south coordinated plenty to laissez passer it to you, wait your baby to bat it around willy-nilly). Employ different sizes and explain the shapes, colors and textures, such equally a big polish beach ball, a fuzzy yellow tennis brawl and a tiny white golf ball.
  • The pouring game.This action is all-time for older babies (closer to 12 months) and toddlers. Got some plastic bowls or cups and pourable items such every bit sand, rice or water? Spread a plastic tablecloth on the kitchen floor offset, or better withal, head exterior if the weather'due south nice. To go your kid started, testify her how it's done by pouring water from one container to another or scooping upwardly sand and dumping it. Then she'll be ready to scroll (and tilt and cascade and scoop!) on her own. To accept this game to the adjacent level, introduce your baby to the concepts of full and empty, heavy and light, wet and dry. (Just make sure she doesn't put any sand or rice in her mouth!)

In that location's almost no cease to the games you can play with household items, your hands and fifty-fifty your vocalisation. Try each of these when your baby is alert and rested or to distract when yous're someplace unfamiliar. She'll invariably be tickled to play with you any time, anywhere.