Activities 5-6 Months
1. Parts of the body
Let baby learn about the different parts of his body.
Sit or lay next to baby on his playmat, and point out his different facial features: nose, ears, chin. Say each word as you touch each part. For example, say “this is your left leg” as you touch his left leg.
You can also do this activity with a mirror, so baby can see his nose when you touch it and say the word.
Conclude this “parts of the body” activity with the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” This always results in many smiles and giggles!
2. Ball pick up
It’s so simple, but so beneficial and fun for baby!
Sit on the floor with baby sitting in front of you. Then, give baby a small ball to hold. A ball without ridges or textures, like a wooden or rubber ball, will give baby a good challenge.
Inevitably, baby will drop the ball. At this point, encourage him to pick it back up. Or he may do this on his own.
It’s hard to do because a ball rolls, and can be hard to grasp. But this gives baby great practice in building hand-eye coordination.
At the same time, he builds all of the muscles that are involved in the sitting position.
Eventually, baby will get pretty good at this and may (intentionally or not) roll the ball too far, and it’ll be out of reach.
That’s okay!
In fact, it’s great because now baby has to figure out how to get out of the sitting position to get the ball. You may need to help him to make this transition initially. But it’ll get easier, and more intuitive for baby, over time.
Suggested Item:
Wooden balls by Woodpeckers
3. Catch
It’s not too early to start playing catch -- well a modified version, at least, for baby. I got this idea from Dr. Peter Vishton’s online course, Scientific Secrets for Raising Kids Who Thrive, and it’s a good one.
Here’s how it works. Sit at a table, like your kitchen or dining room table, with baby on your lap.
Use a wood or rubber ball and roll the ball to baby.
The aim is for baby to extend one or both hands to “catch” the rolling ball.
You can roll the ball straight in front of baby. I found this to be the easiest for Hayden. That way he could extend both arms and catch the rolling ball.
You can also roll it from the side. Or roll it directly toward one hand in attempt for baby to extend that hand to reach for it.
This game may be hard for baby at first. But soon enough he’ll love it! Plus it’s great for developing hand-eye coordination.
Suggested Item:
Wooden ball by Woodpeckers
4. Reading is fun!
This is such a fun age to read with baby!
Hayden loved turning the pages of the board books we read together. He still does!
I’ll say “can you please help me turn the page?” He’ll extend his arm, grab the page with his hand, and push it over. I had to prompt him initially, but now he does it on his own. He loves being involved in the process!
Lift-the-flap books, like Dear Zoo, became popular with Hayden around six months. And, of course, sensorial books continued to be a hit.
Suggested books:
See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book by Roger Priddy
See, Touch, Feel: ABC by Roger Priddy
You’re My Little Baby by Eric Carle
5. Hide and seek
The simplest of games can make for endless entertainment for baby. Hide and seek is one of them.
Take a few washcloths (ideally they’re cloths of different colors) and hide three or four balls, one under each cloth. Station them out of reach for baby to encourage him to move (or slither) to them. He’ll delight in pulling off the cloths and finding the wooden balls.
You can also use measuring cups to hide the wooden balls. Hayden loved this!
Suggested Items:
Wooden balls by Woodpeckers
Washcloths
Measuring cups
6. Fun with measuring cups
Who knew measuring cups could be so much fun for baby?!
Well, they certainly were for Hayden! We used them in different ways.
One of his favorites was to simply pull out each cup when they’re stacked inside each other.
He loved to knock them over when I’d stack them up like a tower.
It’s also fun to put a ball in each cup, and have him pull the ball out of the cup.
Sometimes, he’d use the handle to dump the ball, causing it to roll. Then, he’d want to chase after it!
And, of course, there’s “hide and seek.” Hide a ball under each cup and have baby find them.
Suggested Items:
Measuring cups
Wooden balls by Woodpeckers
7. Get baby moving with mobiles
By now baby loves being on his tummy. The question is: how can you get baby to realize he can move while on his tummy?
Use the mobiles from baby’s newborn days!
Once baby is on his tummy, dangle a mobile in front of him. Then, slowly move (with the mobile in hand) to one side. Baby will follow by rotating on their tummy. Keep moving and baby will keep following the mobile.
Before you know it, baby has made a complete rotation on his tummy!
Suggested Item:
Montessori Mobile Toys Set of 4
8. Splish splash water time fun!
Put some water in a small bin and add a few toys and objects.
Hayden was still a bit wobbly at this age, so he sat on the floor and I sat behind him. The bin of water was in front of him so he could explore.
Stacking cups or measuring cups are a fun choice for this activity.
With your help, baby can scoop up some water and pour it out -- hearing (and sometimes feeling!) the splash this makes.
Baby will love touching the water. Once baby learns he can splash, you’ll likely find that water goes everywhere. So I found it useful to lay a towel on the floor before starting this activity.
He’ll also like seeing how familiar objects move differently in water.
Here’s a fun variant to try: put some water with a few toys and objects on a cookie sheet. Once again, baby will love to touch and splash in the water.
And he’ll delight in watching and moving toys across the cookie sheet.
Suggested Items:
Cookie sheet
Small plastic bin
Measuring cups
9. Sit, reach, crawl
Hayden was content in the sitting position. But then came the day when a ball he was playing with rolled a bit too far from his reach.
He just sat there, looking at it. I could see him thinking: “what do I do now?!”
Thus began a game that we liked to play, which helped him learn how to get out of the sitting position, so he could retrieve the toy.
Begin with baby in a sitting position and station a desired toy out of reach. Or give baby a toy, like a ball, and wait for him to drop it. A ball is ideal because it’ll roll once dropped.
Baby will lean forward and try to reach for the toy.
Help him transition out of the sitting position and into the crawling one.
Then, once baby is safely on the floor, let him go at it and get his reward -- the toy.
The best learning takes place when you want to learn something. If there’s a desired toy, baby will do what it takes to get it, while also learning a new skill along the way.
10. Mirror, mirror on the wall
The fascination with mirrors only enhances at this age!
Not only does baby love looking at himself in the mirror. But it’s also a great way to encourage baby to move.
I’d prop up a mirror on the wall. Hayden would see it and slither quickly as possible toward it.
After he spent some time studying his face, I’d move the mirror again. And he’d slither to it for yet another opportunity to study his face.
He was all smiles, as he watched himself slithering up toward the mirror.
Suggested item:
Mirror
11. Knock down the tower
A small set of blocks makes for endless fascination for baby.
He’ll love to pick up the blocks and clap them together with his hands.
Equally fun is to build a small tower of blocks. Then, baby will come charging over to knock them down. Stack the tower back up, and he’ll gladly knock them back down.
I used this activity to help encourage Hayden to move, when he was in the beginning stages of crawling. I’d make a tower a foot or two away from him. He’d make his way to it, and knock it down.
Then, I’d make another tower, and he’d knock it down. And so it continued for some time.
You can also make a few towers around the room and have baby go from tower to tower, knocking each one over.
Needless to say, we both got our exercise!
Suggested item:
Baby’s First Blocks by HABA
12. It’s time for a trip!
Traveling with a baby or infant is no easy feat. But it’s so worth it. To see the world through a young person’s eyes is nothing short of amazing.
Now is a great time to pack up and head out.
But you don’t need to travel far. Nor do you have to do anything elaborate.
The first trip my family of three took was 40 minutes away and we only stayed one night (though by the amount of stuff in our car it looked like we were going to be gone for a month!).
But this little trip served its many purposes.
First, it exposed our son to a new environment and landscape. A house in the middle of the woods offered many new things to look at and explore. Second, it gave him practice traveling. Above all, it provided family bonding time.
Have a checklist that contains all of the things you need to bring for baby. It'll give you all the peace of mind you need when you’re frantically trying to make it out the door.
Suggested Items:
To warm Hayden up to the idea of traveling, I purchased a few travel-related books for him in advance of the trip and read them to him. Here are a few of my favorites:
Time for a Trip by by Phillis Gershator
All Aboard Pacific Northwest: A Recreation Primer by Haily Meyers
All Aboard! National Parks: A Wildlife Primer by Haily Meyers
B is for Bison by by Greg Paprocki
13. Water art
Water art is simple but a lot of fun!
Fill a small paper or plastic bowl with water.
Put baby in his high chair, or sit with baby on the floor. Help him dip his fingers into the water.
Then, let him touch or grab the paper.
It’s fun to make hand prints, too. You can also use large art brushes to make water marks.
Suggested Items:
Jumbo Children's Tempera Artist Paint Brushes
14. Finger painting (with taste safe paint)
I like this simple recipe to make homemade finger paint (that's taste safe), though I opted for plant-based food coloring.
Have plenty of paper on the table and the paint in a paper bowl. Place baby in his high chair and let him go at it!
Baby can dip his fingers or hands into the paint. Or you can introduce a paint brush.
As fun as it is for baby to decorate the paper with paint, it’s equally enjoyable for him to squish the paint in his hands. It’s definitely a sensorial experience!
You can also put some paint into a Ziplock bag and have baby squish the paint that’s in the bag. It’s another sensorial experience!
To keep things relatively clean, put baby in a mess-proof bib.
Suggested Items:
Jumbo Children's Tempera Artist Paint Brushes
365 by Whole Foods Market, Food Coloring (plant-based)
Tiny Twinkle Mess Proof Baby Bib
15. Abstract art
Release baby’s inner Jackson Pollock with this fun abstract art activity.
Place a few drops of paint on a piece of paper. Construction paper is ideal for to help prevent the paint from leaking through.
Place the paper with paint into the Ziplock freezer bag and close the bag. You can use tape to secure the bag to the table, if you wish.
Now baby can run their fingers over the drops of paint and squish the paint drops with their hands -- without any mess!
Remove the artwork from the bag after baby is finished. Otherwise, it’ll stick to the bag. Plus, the smeared paint on the bag makes a neat artwork itself!
Suggested Items:
16. Sensory boxes: touch, feel, pull
Help baby develop his senses by creating sensory boxes, using everyday items from home.
It’s fun to create themed sensory boxes. Just take a small box or basket and fill it with a handful or so of times.
Here are some sensory box ideas to consider:
- Kitchen box, which can include an oven mit, spoon (for eating), wooden spoon, spatula, whisk, and placemat.
- Bathroom box, which can include a roll of toilet paper, toothbrush, floss container, loofa, and a box of tissues.
- Soft-items box, which can include a loofa, pair of socks, wash cloth, and towel.
- Ball box, which contains toy balls of different colors, shapes, and textures.
- Toy box, which contains toys and teethers of various colors, shapes, and textures.
Then have baby sit up and pull out each object from the box.
Babies love to empty a box full of things. They’ll have as much fun pulling everything out as they will touching and exploring each object.
17. Spice it up!
Want a great way to introduce baby into the world of food and enliven their sense of smell?!
Then, grab some spices and herbs and explore them with baby.
Hayden loved this activity! Here’s how it works.
I sat in a chair next to him, who sat in a high chair, at the kitchen table. I opened up one spice at a time, and smelled it. Then let Hayden smell it.
I did the same thing with herbs. I talked about the spice or herb, what it smelled like and what dishes we used it in.
Fresh herbs, like basil, parsley, rosemary, garlic, thyme, and oregano, work great for this activity. So do spices like cinnamon, garlic powder, cumin, and nutmeg.
18. Get to know your fruits and veggies!
Want a great way to introduce fruits and veggies to baby -- and enliven their senses in the process?
Here’s what you can do. Take a colander and wash a few fruits and vegetables, such as an apple, orange, carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper.
Then, head to the table and explore these items with baby. Pull out an apple, and have baby touch it. Talk about what your baby is seeing a feeling.
Take this sensory activity a step further by slicing and orange, lemon, or lime and have baby smell and touch it.
Suggested Items:
Colander
A variety of fruits and veggies
19. A budding chef
Now is a great time to involve baby in the kitchen.
In fact, Hayden has “helped” me make several of his purees. We made a banana puree together, for example. And it was a lot of fun.
He sat in his high chair and I sat next to him at the kitchen table. I showed him the pile of bananas, as I peeled each one. Then, I let him smell and hold one of the peeled bananas.
He watched enthusiastically as I sliced the bananas and placed them in the food processor. Once it was smooth, I gave him a small taste.
This simple activity was a multi-sensorial experience.
You can even involve baby in some basic recipes. Hayden has “helped” me make pumpkin bread and spice cake.
After I fill a measuring cup with flour, he’ll grab the cup handle and together we’ll dump it into the mixing bowl. Later, we’ll both hold the spatula and mix the ingredients together.
Although he’s not eating these things yet, I still involve him in the process -- and he loves it!
20. Songs babies will love!
Babies love to hear you sing, even if you’re out of tune like me.
Hayden loved songs with hand motions at this age. Here are a few of songs to try:
- The Wheels on the Bus
- Where is Thumbkin?
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider
- 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
- 5 Little Ducks
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
Songs like these are bound to elicit lots of smiles and giggles!