Brand New Dad » Month By Month » 9 Months Old » Games for Skill Building

Physical skills: Your baby is probably crawling or scooting around the floor. Help him build strong muscles and improve his balance. Build a mountain for him to climb by piling pillows on the floor. Encourage him to crawl over the mountain. Sit on the floor with your baby so you can help steady him as he climbs.

Social skills: Sing songs with your baby. Borrow recordings of children's music from the public library. Dance with the music. Or do finger and arm motions that match the words of the song.

Emotional skills: Your baby can probably recognize himself now. Hang an unbreakable mirror on a wall low to the ground. Encourage your baby to look at himself in the mirror. Talk to him about the image. Say things like "Look at John in the mirror. He's smiling now. John has curly hair."

Language skills: Your nine-month-old is a babbler. He probably copies sounds and soon will be saying words. Talk to him often. Play a game in which you say sounds-"ma-ma-ma-ma," for example. Give him time to repeat the sound to you. When he makes a sound, say it back to him.

Intellectual skills: Your baby is learning that things exist even if he can't see them. He can follow your voice from another room. He can crawl to get a ball that has rolled under a chair. Play "Hide and Find" with him. Get a small object like a block or a spoon. Cover it with a small towel or scarf. Ask "Where is the block?" Let your baby uncover the block by moving the scarf. He'll love to play this game over and over.

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