Infant Activities

The key for infant activities is a lot of communication and a lot of repetition. Research has shown that the nerve pathways in the brains of infants light up when they hear familiar phrases! Make those brains shine by utilizing these activities for infants are designed to help reinforce learning goals for your baby while keeping you actively engaged together at home. No more boredom at home with baby.

This list of activities are all created with simple supplies and will take minutes to set up. There is no need to be fussy and complicated to set up activities for babies. Simple is best.

I have done these activities with all four of my children when they were infants, so they are tried and were successful. I still have many to share with you, so click on the images below to view each activity in detail, and stop back for updates.

1. Ice and Muffin Tin: A simple activity for infants can completely change the way your day feels. If you are stuck at home or feel like you just need to break up the day and spend some focused play time with your older infant, a simple activity like this ice and muffin tin fine motor activity for infants is a quick go-to. It’s fun to watch babies explore. That is what I loved the most about being at home with my children: watching them think through a new activity. It is the best feeling to teach your child something new, but it is extremely entertaining to watch them explore all on their own as well. You can put this little sensory exploration for infants together in less than 5 minutes, and the clean up is a breeze!

Set it up: Lay the large towel on the floor in a kitchen or more waterproof area. I used a beach towel to get a lot of floor coverage. Pour ice cubes into the bowl and set it on the towel. Set out a muffin tin (1 or 2 if you have more than one child playing). Show your child the play area and introduce the activity to them by saying something like this: “Look at the ice. You can touch it. It will feel cold. Can you put the ice in the muffin tin? Let’s fill up the muffin cups.”

2. Sticky Ball: In 5 minutes, you can prep this fine motor activity for infants and toddlers. Around 6 months old, infants can grasp and handle toys and balls pretty well. They may even be rolling or lightly tossing a ball to you during playtime. Infants develop so much over the course of their first year, but it is fun to see all the changes. This activity can be done with infants as young as 6 months old and is great fun for toddlers as well. This fine motor activity for infants literally takes 5 minutes to set up. The first time I tried this activity for infants was in a daycare in the 6 month to 1 year old room. Infants are always so enthralled by this sticky ball. It engages a babies brain in some simple problem-solving that will be fun for you to see. Supplies: Plastic Ball (1 or 2) Masking tape Make it: Wrap the masking tape, sticky-side out, around the ball in a few different directions to cover the entire ball with tape. A baby will be puzzled by how to get the ball off of their hand! Some infants and toddlers will enjoy this more than others, but it is a simple way to engage an infant’s fine motor skills and encourage them to pass the ball back and forth between hands (Good for brain development.)

3. Sensory Crawl: It is always an amazing change when a child who is so dependent on you can start crawling and walking on their own a bit. One-on-one time with our children playing and interacting is really important, but it is also important for a child to learn to explore (in safe ways) on their own. It can take time for a child to let you go, but around the older infant and toddler stage they start to be willing to let you set them free. This sensory crawl infant and toddler activity is a fun way to encourage your child’s independent exploration and gives you a chance to #SetBabyFree safely with Huggies Little Movers! When the twins first started to crawl around on their own, my kitchen was pretty much always covered in a layer of plastic food storage container lids! They were always digging through the low cupboards in the kitchen. At times it was cute when they would play together and I would catch them interacting, but sometimes I just wanted to see my kitchen floor without the clutter. Mobile infants and toddlers are in a great stage for introducing fun activities that get them moving. It does not have to be complicated to keep them exploring safe and interesting-to-them items . Setting up a sensory crawl: infant and toddler activity is an easy way to keep your mobile baby exploring safely while learning. All you need to set up a sensory crawl in your house are some items you probably already have in your cupboards. I will list what I used to set this sensory crawl activity for infants and toddlers up in my house and provide some ideas for alternatives.

4. Infant Sensory Bins: Infants often dislike tummy time. Giving them a simple sensory bin for babies can keep them playing (and getting stronger) longer. Simple baby activities are a nice way to introduce sensory exploration and language to infants. (PLUS, as moms, it gives us a feeling of actually teaching our infants and engaging with them.) This easy-to-set-up sensory bin activity for infants only requires cloth napkins or fabric scraps. (You can even use socks!) I always enjoy taking my babies outside for some outdoor activities [read more], and this activity for infants can be done indoors or outside. If you head outside with your baby, just take along a blanket to place on the ground. We have a mismatched set of cloth napkins, and I thought since they were colorful they might be of interest to the babies during tummy time. I set a blanket on the grass in our backyard and placed the bin on it. The twins started pulling napkins out of the sensory bin for babies. The napkins were dumped out, but I had a hidden secret in the bin…I tied a rattle to one napkin to add a little auditory stimulation! All I did was take the corner of a napkin and tied it through the handle of the rattle. You can set a toy that makes noise into the bottom of the sensory bin for babies before placing the napkins into it. I could shake the sensory bin so it would make noise. This kept the babies’ interest and focus. It caused them to dig into the napkins more. The cloth napkin sensory bin for babies was a good way to get the twins on their bellies for extended tummy time. So many infants do not like being on their tummies because it is harder for them to see mom. It is also hard work for their bodies. For infants, it is good exercise though! Even my older two joined in with the babies. It is so much fun when they all play together. I am amazed how the older ones get interested in the new skills their baby brother and sister learn.

5. Water Play: Water is never boring for kids! Whether you have a toddler, preschooler, or older child, water is a great sensory activity for kids at home. Even my oldest finds creative ways to play with water. You do not need to have an outdoor space to play with water. It’s a great simple activity to try indoors on days when the weather makes it inconvenient to play outside. With simple tips, water play can be done safely indoors! I know on the days when we are stuck inside due to weather that everyone is going to get grumpy at some point. It’s a fact that when my kids do not get enough time to run and play outdoors their moods suffer…which means my mood can suffer too. I try my best to keep them active indoors for a time when we are stuck inside. Of course a good old movie day is great, but in the hot California Summer months, or if you get a lot of rain where you live, a great go-to activity to break up the day is water play. 1) Lay a beach towel or several small kitchen towels on a water-safe floor like linoleum or tile. (This activity is not recommended to be done on floors like wood or carpet!) 2) Fill up a pitcher with water. 3) Place a non-breakable mixing bowl or a plastic dishpan on the towel. 4) Pour the water from the pitcher into the bowl or container. 5) Provide some spoons or measuring cups and your child can play! I do this often with my toddlers and even have done it with my infants. For infants that are not sitting up on their own yet, see the tips below.

Water Play for Infants:

1) Lay a towel on the floor and set a baking sheet on top.

2) Fill a pitcher with water.

3) Pour some water into the baking sheet.