The first 6 months in your baby’s life is the fastest growing period after birth. By the half-year mark a baby would have doubled in weight, and should be able to roll over, sit up with your help and grab onto toys.

Although it is still an early stage of your baby’s development, there are already many fun activities your baby can do to train his or her skills while bonding with you in the process.

1.Read colourful books with your baby

Find picture books with bright and contrasty colours and read them together with your baby. This type of visual content can easily grab your baby’s attention and help your little one learn about colours and shapes.

2.Toys with noise

Give your baby toys that make interesting noise. Playing with them will help your baby build an understanding of sound, and how physical interactions generate sound. 

3.Touch and Texture

Find plenty of soft toys of different textures for your baby to touch, grab and even put in his or her mouth. Tactile experiences are essential to the development of babies’ nerve system and their understanding of the physical environment.

4.Tracking

Use a toy your baby likes, or simply your finger, move it across your baby’s face at a distance. You can make a noise to accompany the movement, and repeat this movement back and forth to make your baby track your movement with those curious eyes. 

5.Sit-up and play

Once your baby’s neck is firm enough to support the head, you can help him or her sit up by holding up the arms. Support your baby to remain in the position for a while. This exercise helps build the baby’s muscle strength.

6.Tummy balance on a beach ball

Use a slightly deflated beach ball and put your baby tummy down to the top of the ball. Hold on to the sides of the baby and gently rock the baby forward and backward, then from side to side. This is a fun exercise for both of you, and it’s a great activity for training your baby’s fine motor skills.

7.Strike a target

Find a light and colourful object, such as a ball of yarn or a patterned paper plate. Hang the object on the end of a string and hold it up in the air just high enough for your baby to reach with his or her legs and arms. Encourage your baby to swing and kick to reach the target. This is a fun game which also helps the baby build up muscles and coordination skills.

To find inspirations for more fun activities, read here:

prebabyblog.com, “7 Activities to do with your infant [0-6months]”, available at <http://prebabyblog.com/2012/07/7-activities-to-do-with-your-infant-0-6-months/>, accessed May 24 2017

parents.com, “Activities to boost cognitive development: 306months”, available at <http://www.parents.com/baby/development/intellectual/enhance-cognitive-development-3-6-months/?slideId=49612>, accessed May 24 2017

pkolino.com, “11 Activities for Babies 0 to 6 Months Old”, available at <http://www.pkolino.com/us/blog/11-activities-for-babies-0-to-6-months/>, accessed May 24 2017

Kids-sports-activities.com, “18 Baby Activities for 0-3months”, available at <http://www.kids-sports-activities.com/baby-activities.html>, accessed May 24 2017

photo by Colin Maynard