Games for a 9 Month Old

Passing and Grabbing

• By 9 months, babies have usually learned to grasp and manipulate items. Having such control over items is often something they find fascinating and amusing. Sit your baby up next to you and give her a basket or box of safe items she can grab. Allow her to grab them and remove all the items from the container. Show her how to put the items back. Hand her the items so she can put them back. If she holds up the item, take it from her, then allow her to take it back. This manual manipulation of objects improves motor skills and promotes problem-solving skills.

Peek-A-Boo

• Peek-a-boo is a classic game that never goes out of style. There are many different ways to play peek-a-boo with your baby. A 9-month-old is just learning object permanence, which means he is realizing that things he can̵7;t see didn̵7;t disappear but are still there somewhere out of view. This important discovery is a learning milestone. You can play peek-a-boo by covering yourself with something, such as your hands or a blanket. You can cover the baby with a blanket. You can duck out of sight and pop up abruptly. You can also play peek-a-boo with objects by repeatedly covering and revealing them, or covering them and letting the baby pull the blanket off the item.

Obstacle Course

• A 9-month-old who is crawling will be puzzled at first when things are placed in her way, but when she learns the reward for working around them are praises, hugs and kisses, then getting around obstacles to get to you will quickly become a favorite source of exercise. It will also teach her to navigate her body around, over and under things to help her improve coordination and solve problems. You can place sturdy, stationary objects in her way that she will have to go around, such as a chair or a box. Use smaller, softer objects, such as pillows and stuffed animals, to teach her how to climb over things, or large foam blocks to make bridges for her to go under.

Mimic

• Mimic the sounds that your baby makes when he begins to coo and babble. This will probably catch his attention right away, and he̵7;ll begin to pause after making a sound to give you a chance to repeat it. After a while, begin making sounds and give him the chance to mimic you. This game will help lay the foundation for speech and language development as it will teach your baby that the voice can be manipulated to mimic sounds and that communication goes two ways.

Pretend

• Imitation is not only how babies learn to speak; it is also how they learn to interact with and fit into the world around them. These social skills begin when babies try to behave in the same way they see you behave. Hug and rock a doll, and then give the doll to your baby to do the same. Talk on your phone, and give the baby a toy phone. Pick up pot and a spoon and pretend to cook in it, then give it to the baby to do the same. Any time your baby attempts to copy your behavior, give her praise and encouragement.