We all know that a baby needs time to play and explore. But what do you do when they’re still too young to crawl around and walk? Babies get more active at the age of 6 months and up as they learn common motor skills, like crawling, standing, and taking their first steps. They also start to be curious about the world around them. Having a playmat with a fence helps keep them away from areas that are not safe from them.
Make the time inside the playpen fruitful through these seven activities that develop their cognitive, social, emotional, language and speech, gross motor skills, and fine motor skills. You’ll be surprised by the benefits of the simple games we prepared here. Are you ready? Let’s get started!
7 Fun Activities for Babies 6 Months and Up
The seven activities here are simple and easy to do, and you can find most materials at home. Witness your baby laugh and giggle while developing different essential skills inside a fenced kids’ play mat.
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The Baby Gym
Satisfy your baby’s desire to move by adding a baby gym in their playpen. Exert effort in finding the best baby gym as much as you find the best mat for babies. Here’s what to look for:
- Has a sturdy pole to keep it standing even when babies lean or climb on it
- Has hanging toys babies can tap and pull when lying down
- Has nursery rhyme music to entertain and stimulate auditory learning for babies
- Made with easy to clean materials
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Stacking Game
Put your baby’s cleaned cereal boxes and milk cartons to good use by playing a stacking game with your little one. They can practice their gross motor skill as they stack one box after another. It will also bring them joy to knock the stack and make them fall. Using ready-made stackable toys has the same developmental effect, but it can be better with child-friendly designs.
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Aim and Shoot
This activity aims to let your little one practice and make their fine motor skills of picking up toys and shooting them into boxes or containers with smaller holes. You can also buy puzzles with shape holes where the baby can shoot the corresponding toy’s shape inside. Their eye-hand coordination also improves as they try their best to aim and shoot in the right direction. This game is a multi-purpose activity that makes your baby happy while keeping the playpen area clean and organized.
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Crawling/Walking Course
Dress up your little one with baby army attire as you let them crawl on a course you laid for them inside the baby mat with fence. Utilize stuffed toys, plushies, and small pillows to create a trail, and let your little one crawl or walk in different directions to steer away from blockages. Make sure to lead the way, so they’ll know what to do. Let them have fun as they strengthen their muscles and get a little exercise.
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Puppet Shows
Parents are the most creative teachers of speech and language. As you change your baby’s diapers, feed them, or bathe them, you always add a little fun by singing or storytelling during the process. Do the same for the different toys inside a playpen through a puppet show. The other stuffed toys can serve as the main characters. Bring them life through your creative voiceovers and imaginative narration. Level up by adding light shows and nursery rhyme concerts too!
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Hide and Seek
Peek-a-boo is a classic favorite for babies younger than six months. Level up their favorite game through hide and seek. Pick their favorite stuffed toy and partially hide it behind other toys or pillows to make it fun. The peeping toy part will serve as a clue to your little explorer. Aside from toys, you can also play with disappearing items hidden under colored cups. Show your baby where you’ll put the toy and check if they remember—a good memory practice!
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Pandora’s Box
Play the magician as you pull out one toy after another inside a box and show them to your baby. As you present each toy, let them know of the name for speech and language acquisition. Pandora’s box can also be a tool for sensory games where your baby tries to guess what’s inside the box just by touching them. The first activities are best for younger babies and the second one for older toddlers.
Ashtonbee’s Baby Play Mat With Fence
Babies see a baby play mat and fence either as a place that keeps them from exploring or a wonderland where they do different fun activities with you. With these seven fun and skill-developing activities, they will surely see the playpen as the latter.
Ashtonbee has your back in keeping your baby safe as you do these different interesting games through our baby foam play mat. Our design is easy to clean, durable, and highly usable because of its reversible design. It is the best play mat with fence!
Make your pastime more joyful by playing varied games, rewarding your little one when they succeed, and playing an active role in the process as a playmate. Do all this great stuff inside a playpen.
