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Ryan is now 10 months old and getting more interactive with us all the time. We're really lucky in that he's good about being able to play by himself for long stretches, but it's much more fun to play together.
What are some good games we can play with him at this age? I keep thinking there must be some fun activities we should be doing with him to help him develop.
What did all you Hatrack parents do with your kids?
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Gin Rummy Poker Checkers, and if he can sit still long enough, Chess A little Halo is usually safe and fun Stay away from the drinking games for now, he probably can't hold his liquor Kickball Lazer Tag was popular for a while Armwrestling Scrabble Peek-a-boo is boring, but not with a clown mask (on the baby) Uno Parcheesee Rock'em Sock'em Robots Yahtzee Catch
Posts: 1170 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Hey Zan...try searching amazon for "baby games". They have a good list of books with ideas.
That first one on the list is pretty good -- I've used my copy many times. It's got lots of great ideas for physical play with babies and toddlers. I also like Gymboree's baby play books, as they have very clear pictures.
When Rayne was under 1yr old, she never tired of dancing together and singing made-up songs. She also liked playing "camp-out", where we would hide under a blanket and whisper nonsense at each other. She liked mountain climbing over stacked up pillows and cushions. Both my kids liked having a kitchen cabinet they could get into and pull stuff out. I put plastic containers and wood and plastic utensils in that cabinet and they would pull them out and bang on them or fill them with toys. Duplo blocks are a great toy too...I was surprised by how coordinated Rayne was with them early on. They last a lot longer for entertainment than most other toys.
(other voice) "What are you going to change him into?"
"A diaper"
<holds diaper over baby's face>
"Poof! you're a diaper!"
"poof, diaper" were among the first words of all four of my speaking children.
Peekaboo should be a big hit, too. Or hide under a blanket or large towel and say "where's daddy?" and see if they will figure out on their own where you went (my wife tells me this teaches "object permanence", I just think it's fun).
Finally, put the baby on his/her back on a bed, place a pillow so that it covers their torso and bounce them softly but rapidly, using the pillow to hold them down. It's fun, and they will love it, but you want to be careful to avoid shaking them too hard-- infants have died from being shaken-- so definitely watch your strength here, and you also definitely want to wait till they are about 9-10 months for that... maybe wait until they walk.
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We had a little sister who didn't like to lay flat, and she was balanced in such a way that we could play "spin the baby". The scary thing is I seem to remember us playing it on top of a dresser.
Rolling a ball back and forth was recommended in some book I read. And my daughter likes throwing something on the floor and me picking it up to give back to her.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Jeni, I’ll check those out. I looked on Amazon, but put in baby education. I should have just put in my own thread title. He’s just recently started to sing along with us. At least that’s what I think he’s doing. He’s not real good right now. He does say da da a lot, but he says it to everything and everyone, so maybe he’s not really talking to me.
He loves to pull books out of the bookcases and magazines off the coffee table (which he then eats), so I bet he’d love a cabinet of his own. In our tiny apartment now, we don’t have any spare cabinets, but I might try a box of toys or something.
It’s hard to get him to sit still while I read to him, but I’ve started to duct tape him to the floor. Reading is important after all.
Ben, unfortunately Universal wasn’t keen on me taking him on the roller coasters with me. I had him strapped into the Snugli thing on my chest and everything, but… I swear that boy is not going to grow up with his mother’s bad stomach for rides.
I’ve been doing the “where’s Ryan” thing, but I’ll need to try the “where’s daddy”.
I’ve also tried the ball rolling, but he wants to pick it up, crawl over to me and put it in my hand. He’s very polite.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Dump and fill is very popular with Thomas, as is the aforementioned 'Where's Daddy?' or whoever it happens to be. The ball rolling (and throwing/kicking now) is great fun. The main thing is simply to talk/interact while playing, it's helped Thomas to learn the names of many things. He knows where his head, belly and toes are, and what various toys are.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Do you know "Trot, Trot to Boston"? My sibs loved it (I hear I did too), and so did my kids. Here is a site that describes how to do it (one bounce per syllable, with baby riding your knee like a horsie -- ok, so I can describe it better, but they have some other stuff too).
But they have the words WRONG! It's
quote: Trot, trot to Boston Trot, trot to town. You better watch out, Or you're gonna fall down. drop knee, so baby slides down to floor
Trot, trot to Boston Trot, trot to Lynn. You better watch out, Or you're gonna fall IN! drop knee toward other leg, so baby slides down and in
Mine also always loved, "Where is (child's name)'s nose?" wait for them to touch nose, help if necessary "Where is (child's name)'s belly button?" with the occasional "Where is Mommy's nose?" tossed in for giggles.
Some kids will get these wrong on purpose, and wait to see what you do. If you react with enough hilarity, that soon becomes the game instead.
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Reacting with hilarity (or overly dramatic fear, or surprise) is a good way to make almost any game fun. When the baby does something and you react to it, he or she has changed their environment (i.e., you) and it's great.
There's the modified version of Hide n Seek: get on your hands and knees and hide behind a chair - plainly visible - and pretend you're hiding, saying so loudly. If the baby crawls over to you and tags you, react as if you've been shot, freak out, and crawl away only to find an equally useless hiding place and sigh loudly with relief. Then, when the baby "sneaks" up on you...
The problem with most of these sorts of games is that you'll tire before your baby does.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Chris, we do play chase. I'll crawl after him as he "runs" away and then I'll tag him on the butt. Then I'll turn around and run away myself. He'll laugh his head off the whole time he's chasing me. And yes, I get tired before he does.
One thing I'm still figuring out (and always will be) is how much he knows and can figure out. He definitely knows that when I go around a corner, I'm still there and will follow me around the corner to get me. At this age, can he really understand that I'm "hiding" from him and he needs to "find" me. I guess the best way to find out is to try it.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Our youngest at 10 minths loved reading and Duplos, but the favorite game at that age with my younger two seemed to be "Pull baby down from (the fridge, mantle, top of the couch)."
We loved "Name the body part" games, singing ABC's and numbers (using the appropiate sign language); A great book to get is "Sesame Street Sign Language ABC". Unlike the other baby sign books, you actually read it with your child.
This is probably an age where he might like the Mighty Tonka.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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