Play: Six to Nine Months

I am most interested in this post b/c my little guy is right smack in the middle of this age range...



Six to Nine Months:

Your child will be able to do more at this age b/c if he has no physical limitations he will be albe to sit alone for long periods of time, giving him a new perspective of the world and allowing him to use his hands to interact with objects and you!

(if your child can't yet sit up by himself use a highchair or the new bumbo seats to give him the same experience of sitting up and not having to use his hands to hold him up).



This is a good age to remind you to talk about what you are doing with and for him..."hmmm, looks like you need your diaper changed. should we get a new one? okay, let's go." He'll enjoying hearing your voice and begin to understand what you're saying before he starts to say intelligible words.



Toys:

soft blocks--your child at this age may be able to stack 2 or 3 blocks (according to the book)
-you can work on 'up' and 'down' (i've heard though that with opposites you should only work on one at a time...so work on 'up' and then when the child has it work on 'down')

Where's the Cheerio-- babies at this age love disappearing games (object permanence is emerging)
-for this game use plastic cups that you can't see through
-put a cheerio (or puff) under a cup...start with one cup, then add a 2nd and even a 3rd...let him watch you put the cheerio under the cup. then ask "where is the cheerio? Where did it go?" He will lift the cup and look for the cheerio.

magnets on a cookie sheet-- find interesting fridge magnets (animals, foods, etc) and get out a cookie sheet...use the magnets to teach vocab:
"I have a dog here. Look, I can put it on the cookie sheet and it sticks there. It's a magnet dog. Now what's this? A cat--can you stick the cat to the cookie sheet? Good job--you did it. Let's see what this one is. Oh, it's a little mouse. Let's stick that to the cookie sheet also. " (the book recommends then asking the child to hand you the different animals but i think that this is too much to ask for this age group).