You'll find so many creative ideas for helping babies learn to focus on objects in front of them, for working on fine motor skills and gross motor skills, and for improving concentration.
We encourage strict supervision at all times when setting up activities for babies, as they are curious and love to put things in their mouths. So, use taste-safe materials when tasting is likely (such as with paints or sensory bins), and keep a careful watch with all others.
Related posts:
- Baby milestones month by month
- Baby painting
- Sensory bin ideas (and how to get started)
- Sensory play (and why it is important)
- Importance of nursery rhymes (and lots of ideas)
- Activities for toddlers
- Messy play ideas
- Sensory play for babies
Activities for Babies from Messy Little Monster
Tugging Box Fine Motor Activity
Our Tugging Box encourages babies to use their fine motor skills to pull and tug on the ribbons. This is a terrific way to use scrap pieces of ribbon and cardboard while providing a frugal and fun toy for your baby.
Peeling Tape Baby Activity
Set up this Peeling Tape Baby Activity in under a minute! Use washi tape or painters tape on a flat surface, and show your baby how to start peeling, if needed. He'll catch on quickly. Don't you love no-mess activities like this?
Pasta Play Activity
If you're a mum or dad who likes simple activities, you can't get much easier than our Pasta Play Activity for babies and toddlers. Dried spaghetti and a colander are all you need to provide your baby with a few minutes of fun and fine motor practice.
Taste-Safe Ice Painting
This fun Taste-Safe Ice Painting process art activity is perfect for babies, toddlers, or preschoolers. Babies will enjoy exploring the cold feeling of the ice as well as the bright colours on the paper.
Mess Free Painting
Painting with babies can be lots of fun, but it can get messy! If you want a quick and easy activity that avoids the mess try this fun mess free painting technique.
5 Little Ducks Water Play Activity
Pair this 5 Little Ducks Water Play Activity with the popular nursery rhyme to put a huge smile on your baby's face. This activity is a cinch to set up using the baby's high chair or a Tuff tray and some rubber duckies.
Rainbow Spaghetti Sensory Play
Explore colour and texture with a big tray of Rainbow Spaghetti for your little one to play with. It's squishy, colourful, and completely taste-safe.
Ocean Sensory Bottle
Make an Ocean in a Bottle to allow baby to explore items that are usually off-limits. Water beads in shades of blue and purple, as well as toy fish, make for a beautiful ocean-themed sensory experience.
Rainbow Sensory Bottle
Our Rainbow Sensory Bottle is another excellent choice for babies using layers of different coloured water beads to create a rainbow effect. Safe, mess-free toys like this are a mom's saving grace with curious babies.
Rainbow Sensory Bottle
Another good option if you are looking for safe ways to explore new objects and colours it to make a few Sensory Bags. You can include a range of different objects for your babies to explore.
Edible Farmyard Small World Play
Let your baby play and explore with farm animals with an Edible Farmyard Small World Play activity. The base, made out of different types of cereal like Coco pops and Frosties, will be fun to touch and taste.
Edible Construction Sensory Play
Keeping with the edible sensory play theme, this construction sensory bin is perfect as a first sensory activity for baby as it is edible and fun. Babies will love filling up the construction trucks and then emptying them again!
Baby Footprints
So this one is maybe more for mum and dad than for baby, but isn't it adorable! Combine cute little footprints with an adorable poem to make a Baby Footprint Poem keepsake you will always treasure.
Foil Blanket Play
Babies just love these emergency foil blankets. Foil Blanket Play is such as easy baby activity to set up which makes it a win in my book. Babies will love exploring the sound and feel of the foil blanket and it's great for playing peek a boo.
Sensory Fort for Babies
If you want to go all out, how about creating a Sensory Fort for Babies. Build a fort using what you have around the home and then fill it with lights, sensory bottles, treasure baskets and bubbles. How fun!
Edible paint for Babies
This 2 ingredient edible paint creates the perfect sensory experience for babies. They can explore the texture of the paint with their fingers or make marks using a paintbrush. The best part is you won't have to worry about them putting it near their mouth.
Tape Rescue for Babies
Older babies will love this tape rescue activity, just watch they don't want to eat the tape! Tape animals (or any other small toys) to a high chair or table using Washi tape and then invite your baby to 'rescue' the animals by pulling the tape off.
More Fun Activities for Babies
Here are some of our favorite baby activities from our friends around the web.
Green Pea Sensory Bag
This mess-free Green Pea Sensory Bag by Happy Toddler Playtime is an easy way to keep your baby occupied while you make lunch or dinner. You can tape it to the floor or to a chair tray to let your baby squish and move the peas around.
Texture Blocks
These Texture Blocks by Fireflies and Mud Pies offer a fun, safe way for babies to explore lots of different textures. It's like a touch-and-feel in the form of blocks!
Jello Sensory Play
Okay, this one is messy, but oh-so-fun! Put down a plastic sheet or tablecloth to contain the mess for this Jello Sensory Play activity from The Mom Friend. Next, add a tray of Jello along with some cookie cutters or toys and let your baby explore. Since it's a-okay for your baby to take a bite, you can feel good knowing that this sensory activity is safe (and tasty!) for baby.
DIY Baby Activity Box
This DIY Baby Activity Box from Danya Banya goes along perfectly with our tug box above. Cut different shapes in the box for your baby to push bottle tops, blocks, or toys through.
Baby Ring Grab
Make a sticky wall to set up this sensory Baby Ring Grab for your kiddo. This activity by Happy Toddler Playtime includes both sensory and fine motor fun.
Yarn Transfer Activity
Transferring items from one place to another is such fun for babies. The mini skeins of yarn are perfectly sized for baby's hands. You'll want to do this Yarn Transfer Activity by The Art Kit again and again.
5 Little Ducks Finger Puppets
Babies just love nursery rhymes, so add a little pizzazz to your next singing session with these 5 Little Ducks Finger Puppets from Danya Banya. They'll definitely make that little sing-song activity a lot more fun for mom and baby!
Sticky Grab
The sticky, tactile surface in this Sticky Grab activity by Happily Ever Mom makes it especially fun for babies and toddlers. Use foam letters or any other foam or plastic that will cling to the wrap. This activity is great for strengthening fine motor muscles and hand-eye coordination.
DIY Sensory Lids for Babies
Give your baby sensory opportunities in a safe way. These DIY Sensory Lids from Taming Little Monsters are fantastic toys for tummy time. Save old lids from cans of formula, chip cans, yogurt, etc. to cover with sensory materials like fabric, feathers, and more. Isn't this a fun and clever way for babies to explore?
Playsilk Baby Activity
Babies are so fascinated with pulling wipes out of the baby wipes packages, but when they put everything in their mouths, you may be concerned about letting them play with the wipes container. This Playsilk Baby Activity from The Art Kit takes care of that with reusable silk or cotton wipes.
Pillow Climbing
You can't get any simpler than this Pillow Climbing activity from School Time Snippets. All you need are some pillows from your bed or couch for your baby to climb over! It's great for getting those large muscle groups moving.
Frozen Pea Sensory Bin
Make a Frozen Pea Sensory Bin like this one from Taming Little Monsters for your baby. It's another taste-safe activity that's perfect for curious little ones. And while generally, peas are too small to pose a choking hazard, it's always a good idea to watch your baby the entire time for safety purposes.
Under the Umbrella Sensory Play
This Under the Umbrella Sensory Play activity from Best Toys 4 Toddlers is a little like the activity mats you can buy at the stores, but this one is big enough for both you and baby (or siblings and baby) to fit under. There are so many interesting things to look at and touch!
Balloon Kicking
While this Balloon Kicking activity from Laughing Kids Learn may seem like a "just for fun" activity for baby, it actually helps them work on concentration, learn about cause and effect (kicking moves the balloon), and encourages the use of gross motor skills.
Seek and Find Sensory Bin
This is an advanced sort of hide and seek for baby! Use this Seek and Find Sensory Bin by The Chaos and the Clutter to engage your baby's visual and tactile sensory systems. They'll also get auditory input from the crunching and shuffling of the paper as they look for the toys.
Mess-Free Rainbow Activity
Although this Mess-Free Rainbow Activity from The Keeper of the Memories is perfect for babies, kids of a wide range of ages will enjoy it. Little ones simply enjoy squishing the bags and looking at the colours, while if you're letting your older ones join in on the fun, you may want to talk about colour mixing as well.
Q-Tip Push
Turn an egg carton into an engaging baby activity. This Q-Tip Push activity from Happily Ever Mom is fun and frugal, and it'll keep your baby busy for quite a while.
Christmas Light Activity
Do you have some battery-powered twinkle lights? If so, here's a Christmas Light Activity from Finding Myself Young that your baby will really enjoy. Put them in a plastic water bottle if you don't have one of these containers.
Baby Play Space
Use cut-up pool noodles, balls, and a little swimming pool to create this fun Baby Play Space by Laughing Kids Learn. Babies can explore the pieces and feel the textures and shapes. It also helps babies learn to focus on the objects they're holding in front of them.
We hope you found lots of terrific activities for babies that your little one will enjoy. Pin this list for future reference!
Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube or Subscribe for free email updates!
No comments