Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
If you’ve got a baby at home, you may be looking for ways to keep them engaged and happy throughout the day. It can feel a little tough knowing exactly how to entertain a 6-month-old. Sometimes it seems like they aren’t able to do much yet! That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best activities to try with your 6-month-old baby.
These activities are also easy ways to promote speech and language development in your baby. Give them a try, and not only will you be having fun with your 6-month-old, you’ll be getting them ahead of the game in their communication skills!
1 Sing songs
You might be doing it already, but one way to entertain your baby is to sing songs to them. Nursery rhymes are the perfect choice. Try simple songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”
Singing is a great way to let your baby hear different pitches and tones, the speech sounds that make up our language, and new vocabulary words. When you sing, your baby is more likely to watch your facial expressions and your mouth movements. And studies have shown that when babies do that, it helps their communication development!
Songs are also an excellent way to practice gestures together. As babies get older, they’ll eventually begin gesturing by doing things like waving, making simple signs, and clapping their hands. Practicing fun gestures in songs, such as “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” will help them learn the imitation skills needed to make these types of gestures. These imitation skills will grow along with your child, as they begin imitating sounds, then words.
2 Make silly faces together
What’s better than a baby’s giggle? Did you know that spending time making your child laugh actually grows their communication skills?
To do this, simply sit face to face with your baby, then make funny faces. Stick your tongue out, puff out your cheeks for a fishy face–whatever gets your baby smiling. They’ll love watching and observing your facial expressions.
When they giggle, laugh along with them! A simple activity like this can actually target joint attention, which is one of the building blocks of learning to communicate. Joint attention is when two people are focused on the same thing at the same time. And believe it or not, this is a big skill for your baby to learn! When the two of you laugh together, it’s almost as if you’re both saying, “That was funny! And I know you enjoyed it, too!”
3 Go for a walk
Take your baby out for a walk when you can. Both of you will enjoy the fresh air and change of scenery.
As you push your baby in the stroller or walk with them in a carrier, talk to them about what you see. You can talk about the cars going by, or the birds flying above. Your baby can learn a lot just by listening to you talk. Modeling language like this is one of the best things you can do for their early communication skills.
If you pass others on your walk, you can wave and say “Hi!” to model greetings for your baby, as well. While they probably won’t wave until closer to 8 to 12 months, watching these exchanges helps prepare them for learning this skill. You may have a little “people person” on your hands pretty soon!
4 Read books together
Reading with your baby is the perfect way to pass time for the two of you. Did you know that one study revealed that when parents read just one book a day to their kiddo, by the time that child enters kindergarten, they’ve heard a total of 1.4 million more words than children who aren’t read to?
Reading promotes strong language abilities. And of course, it’s a chance for special bonding between the two of you.
Try reading books face to face. This way your baby can watch your mouth as you read.
As you read with your baby, point to pictures and encourage them to look. Over time, they’ll learn the names of the items you’re talking about. “First word” books and books with big pictures are great choices for 6-month-olds.
As your baby learns to sit up independently, or if you have a baby seat they like to sit in, you can try reading books face to face. This will allow them to watch your mouth as you read. This further promotes speech sound skills and development.
5 Play peek-a-boo
A simple but fun game to play with your baby is the one and only peek-a-boo. Try hiding your face behind your hands or behind a blanket. Say “Where did [Mommy/Daddy] go?” Then pop out and say “Peek a boo!” Watch your baby’s face light up! You can do this repeatedly, and even help your baby do it, too.
When they’re closer to 9 to 12 months old, your baby should begin initiating the game by themselves. That always feels like a big milestone to witness!
6 Play a simple game with containers
No need for toys–babies and toddlers love boxes and containers. For this activity, grab a box with a lid and place some items inside. Make sure they’re big enough to be safe and don’t have any small pieces. Try things like blocks, a brush, a shoe, a ball, a cup, and a spoon. Let your baby hold the container and shake it, listening for what’s inside. When they get curious, open the box and let them take the items out. Show them what to do with each one: maybe rolling the ball, or pretending to drink from the cup. Name the item, and let them watch your mouth make the movements.
Try emphasizing sounds in the words as well. If it’s a brush, say “b-b-b…brush!” Your little one will love listening to all these new sounds and will soon be trying to say the sounds themselves. Keep your ear out for some sweet babbling that should be showing up around 6 months old!
With all these activities to try, you’re sure to have some fun new ways to entertain your 6-month-old. Think about keeping your camera nearby as you play together. You never know what new skills your baby may decide to show you!
