Baby Playtime

When I first tried to think of activities my infant could do, I was lost on ideas; however, after experimenting and trying new activities, I figured out several to do with him.  Since it was so hard for me to come up with ideas when I am an early childhood major, I wanted to share some of the activities. 

Feet Painting: The first painting we ever tried with him when he was only a couple months old was feet painting.  We painted each month of the year a different object or animal.  We then took pictures of his feet and made them into a Shutterfly calendar for the grandparents.  January-snowmen, February-heart, March-chic, April-Easter bunny, May-flowers, June-cowboy (theme of his nursery since it was his birthday month), July-firecracker, August-tractor, September-apple, October-ghosts, November-turkey, December-Christmas tree

Sensory Play with Food: When I first realized he was ready to 'finger paint' he was sitting in his high chair, and he really wanted to play with his baby food (carrots).  I decided to dump the leftovers out on his tray and allowed him to play or 'paint' in the food.  He loved it and if it went in his mouth it was ok and safe for him!

Finger-Painting: We did try regular finger painting as well; however, I only used Crayola paints.  He tried to put his hands in his mouth several times, but still enjoyed it! I would suggest taking off all his clothes and leaving him in only a diaper.  We also only paint in the evenings right before bath time.  I wouldn't suggest trying this if you are planning to go somewhere. It is a huge mess! We have tried painting on the floor with a cardboard box underneath the paper as well as in his high chair.  The cardboard box was much easier to clean.  Pick it up and toss it out with the trash or store it somewhere and reuse it every time you get the paints out!

Easter grass I Spy:  I planned this game for St. Patrick's Day for the older kids; however. he loved playing in it the night before so much that I decided to do this more often with him.  I bought two packs of green Easter grass from the Dollar Tree along with several green items from the Dollar Tree.  I buried the items under the grass in a small blow up pool.  J loved playing with the grass the most, but he did enjoy spying objects under the grass as well.

Grass Sensory Play: J loves playing outside; therefore, I decided to let him explore a little.  He loved touching the grass, dirt, sticks etc.  His favorite were the sticks.  I had to really watch him though to make sure he didn't put it in his mouth.

Snow Sensory Play: When it's too cold and wet to play outside, why not bring the snow inside! J loved playing in the snow.  I added play eggs and plastic spoons for exploring.  He really enjoyed it, but could only play for a short amount of time because his poor hands were getting so cold!

Cardboard Box Play: My husband works for a heating and air company and was able to bring a box home during Dr. Seuss week.  J and E both loved crawling through the box.  J thought it was a game of hide and seek.  He loved poking his head around the corner and would start laughing when he saw mommy or daddy.

Tissue Box Textures: J loves pulling out tissues from the box; therefore, I decided to cut small pieces of scrap material of different textures including a ribbon, netting, jean, fleece, etc.  I then shoved them into an old tissue box that already had a whole cut out of it.  J loved pulling out the material and being able to chew on it without me constantly pulling it out of his mouth!


Water Bottles: I discovered my little guy loves water bottles!  From a very young infant, he saw me drinking out of them and was mesmerized by the water movement inside.  As he got older, he wanted to try and 'drink' from the bottle.  Usually he just chewed on the cap.  (Be sure to make sure the cap is on the bottle is really tight.)  We have also added pom pom balls to the inside of an empty water bottle.  Babies love bright colors! We have added beads to the inside as well.  He loves shaking it and making noise! For Dr. Seuss week, my older son made one with cooking oil, red food coloring, red tissue paper, and red beads.  We called it Pink Ink from the Cat in the Hat story.

All of these activities should be accompanied by an adult.

This is just a short list of activities I have tried with J before the age of one! I hope to add more to this between now and his first birthday.   I hope this list of ideas will help you find ways to play and explore with your little one!