Favorite Toys & Activities (3-6 Months)

Once Ford started to become active, right around 3 months, I knew I couldn’t just let him bounce in his MamaRoo anymore. I wanted to engage him with fun toys and activities to boost his development. I only have afternoon’s at home with Ford, so I like having fun activities to do, so that neither of us gets bored.

I enlisted my amazing Instagram community to share their favorite activities to do with a baby (up to 6 months) and have been testing a few of them out on my own! I thought I would share my favorite activities, along with a few recommendations from you.

Practice tummy time & rolling (on a mat - we love this one!) Ford loves tummy time, but it took us doing it everyday for him to get comfortable. Start with just 5-to-10 minutes per day and then work your way up! Now, he is practicing scooting and rolling on the mat.
Practice grabbing and reaching for toys - put different toys (I do 3 or so at a time) on the mat in arms’ reach. It’s fun to watch them learn how to reach for and grab their own toys. I will sometimes move them an inch or so to encourage more movement.
Vocal exercises: practicing vowels & ABC’s - focus on a few letter’s or sounds each day
Learn shapes, colors and numbers with blocks - we use this set everyday! Stacking blocks is such a great way to help with motor skills.Go through each shape, then color then number at a time. Repetition is good for learning! I’ve seen Ford grow from interested in watching me play with the shapes to starting to do it on his own!
Practice grabbing and stacking with rings - we love this set! We name each color as we stack them and then I let him push it over at the end (always gives a good laugh).
Go to a KinderMusik class - on my to-do list! So many mamas recommended this!
Sing songs and dance (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Patty Cakes, Baby Shark, etc.) I will turn on a Spotify playlist in the morning during tummy time.
Bath time and introducing bath toys - I want to get Ford this floatie for bath time play! We do a nighttime bath only, but if baby is still not loving the bath, it’s a good idea to try during the daytime (when they are naturally less fussy).
Read books - we love touch & feel books or anything interactive with pop-out elements. Other favorite books: Love You Forever, Pout Pout Fish, and anything by Dr. Seuss!
Take a walk - When the weather is nice, we love an afternoon walk. Bonus: meet up with another mom/baby!
Look in a mirror - baby’s love looking at themselves in the mirror and it’s great for tummy time fun!
Practice sitting up or standing - use a Boppy or pillow behind baby and put a toy in front to entertain them to start! Ford can now sit up on his own. He also loves pretending to “walk” with me holding his hands. It’s so cute that he will mimic me taking steps.
Play Peek-a-Boo with a blanket. Ford LOVES this! Move the blanket across your face and his and ask “Where’s Mama?” or “Where’s NAME” to help with name recognition. I also will touch my nose and say “MAMA” and then touch his nose and say “FORD.” Fingers crossed he says 'mama’ as his first word!

Create a DIY sensory toy - I saw fun tutorial on The Mama Notes here. Still need to try this!
Join swimming lessons - a friend recommended this and started doing with her little guy around 4 months!
Use an activity center - we love this one! tip: move the toys around each day or add new ones, so it feels fresh. Fun fact: the bowl is his favorite toy (the most basic one, of course) He will pull it off and put toys inside of it.