Creative activities for babies

Babies are amazing! Everything is brand new to them and there is a world out there just waiting to be discovered. Here are some ideas to help your new little creation make the most of every second!

A Super-Pathway

The stage between sitting and walking involves a lot of creeping and crawling. Create a 'super-pathway' of textures and colours to explore by laying out different surfaces for them to explore...use towels, rugs, a changing mat, a piece of bubble wrap, a furry blanket, a cushion....anything that can be laid down on the floor that has an interesting texture.
Because I love sewing I created my own pathway using a variety of fabrics and materials sewn together to create a pathway that can be rolled up and used again and again...but that's just me! Don't forget to use contrasting colours as well as textures.

Dark and Light

Make a dark den using a cardboard box or a blanket over a coffee table. Let your baby/toddler explore inside and out to explore the contrast between light and dark...after all it is one of the very first things God created for us! Furnish the den with comfy cushions, bedtime story books, a cuddly teddy and a fleecy blanket and role play the bedtime routine of calming down, getting warm and snuggly and saying a goodnight prayer and enjoying goodnight cuddle.

Take the opportunity to help your little one to link darkness with sleep so that bedtime becomes the natural thing to look forward to. My Grandson found bedtime really difficult to understand until his mum found a book about owls and after much exploration of the theme he latched onto the idea that when the owl came out it was time for bed...so we all used this to signal when bedtime was coming up..."I have just spotted the owl flying about, quick it must be bedtime!" and it worked!!!

 What's that smell?

We often think about sight, sound, touch and taste when developing activities for young children but rarely think of exploring the sense of smell. Smell is an emotional sense and even as adults certain smells bring back memories. My Grand-Daughter picked up a lavender scented little pillow I had made, sniffed it and announced it smelt like Great-Grandma! Help your child explore different smells by offering them flowers, herbs, fresh laundry and simply talk about the wonderful smells around them.

What's in the sock?

You might have heard of the activity What's in the box? Well I prefer What's in the sock as babies and toddlers can use their sense of touch to give themselves clues to what is in the sock.

Using a knee length sock hide an object inside that your child will recognise and let them feel it to discover it's content...try singing this little chant...

What's in the sock?

What's in the sock?

What's in the

What's in the

What's in the sock?

Possible objects could include a favourite soft toy, an apple, a ball, a banana. Make sure the shape is distinctive.

Texture basket

I love treasure baskets and it is easy to put together a tray or basket containing different textured objects to explore. At first your baby / toddler will need help to explore the objects but they will soon get the hang of it. Objects could include crinkly paper, a woolly sock, a furry glove, a hairbrush, a plastic cup. The adult can help the exploration by miming the exploration and what you can use the object for..."look it's a hairbrush for brushing your hair" "look its a warm, soft woolly sock to keep your feet and toes warm" ...what a great opportunity to introduce lovely descriptive language and have fun with your little one. What are they learning? To feel textures, comparing, reaching, grasping, holding, shaking, letting go too! You can also begin to introduce questioning..."what can I do with the hairbrush?

Other collections can include:

Squeeze basket - sponges, soft balls, bean bags, little pillows, hair scrunchies, ball of wool.

Floaty basket - lovely floaty things including chiffon scarves, feathers of different sizes, ribbons and streamers.
Wash and brush up basket - Fill a treasure basket with familiar care items including a hairbrush, flannel, sponge, tooth brush, towel, empty shampoo bottle. Play along side your child modelling the use of each item and talk about what you are doing. Include a doll or teddy who can be made to look beautiful.

Filling and tipping play

Just to prove you don't need to pay lots of money for toys to engage your youngster try supplying them with small selection of containers and objects to fill them with. Babies and toddlers love to fill and tip out and refill containers so they can be used in sand, rice, water and in a tray of pasta shapes.

If you are going to buy a toy find some  plastic stacking cups, a real old favourite as they can be used as your child grows and skills develop. First they can be used to fill and spill, next to stack one inside another, then to order in size, to build a tower and to stack within each other. They can be helpful for colour recognition, size activities and for counting. 

 Exploring the environment

Carry your little one to different parts of the room to look at and to feel things. point to each object and name them. Talk about each object...what it looks like, feels like, smells like and use describing words such as smooth, bumpy, sweet, large, small, shiny. Encourage them to touch or hold and show awe and wonder at all the lovely things around you. Introduce the joy of exploring, feeling, looking, smelling, listening, tasting...the world around us has so much to teach us.

On the line

Create a washing line and hang all sorts of interesting themed objects on it. I saw this in my daughters nursing home where she was working. The staff had pegged some lovely colourful objects on a line just close enough for a young lady with learning difficulties to interact with them...batting, pulling, and playing with them. The old fashioned prams always had a string of activity toys placed strategically across the pram where the baby could watch and interact with the toys. When my girls were babies I set up a little wooden frame that they lay below and hung toys, ribbons and pom-poms within stretching distance. Great for occupying a busy, exploring  mind and to develop hand/eye coordination.

 Lacing strings and things

Babies and toddlers love collections of things and if you thread them they can be manipulated safely. Choose items that are chunky and can be threaded such as large beads, cotton reels, chunky buttons, conkers and thread them onto shoe laces tied to form a continuous circle or a long snake. (make sure it doesn't fit around the neck and the beads are secure though to keep your little one safe. I keep an eye out in the many charity shops for threading items.

What's underneath?

Using a small blanket or piece of cloth explain that you are hiding an object  underneath "where has teddy gone?"  then announce "here he is". Play this hide and seek game a few times and your little one will begin to reveal the lost object themselves. If you hide a rattle or squeaky toy they can make a noise to give a clue where they are hidden.

 Parachute fun

Using a square/circle of fabric you can pop anything soft inside that will bounce. hold the edges and pull the fabric / parachute taut. Bend down low then stretch up high as your little ones can reach and carefully bounce a ball, rolled up sock, teddy, balloon etc. up and down. Even chant up and down and round and round and try some well known nursery rhymes to sing as you use the chute. young children find it so exciting to watch the objects shoot into the air. Little ones who are not yet at the stage  to hold on and cooperate two adults or older children can demonstrate and they will just love to watch teddy fly!

Tube and chute play

I pinched some off cuts of plastic drain pipes and guttering from my husband to create a lovely interactive activity for toddlers. Choose items to shoot through and down the pipes and chutes such as soft balls and toy cars.