Are you looking for some fun and creative ways to keep your little one busy? These were some of my favorites when my son was between the ages of 9-12 months, but could easily be enjoyed by both younger and older children as well.
25 Activities To Do With A 6-12 Month-Old
1. Swing
2. Play Pat A Cake
3. Sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider
4. Play peek-a-boo
5. Slide
6. Go on a family bike ride
7. Sing The Wheels on the Bus
8. Play in a bubble bath
9. Play with a water table or shallow bucket of water and toy
10. Make a sensory bin with dyed noodles to let them play in
11. Go to a pool, local lake, or use a kiddie pool in your yard
12. Go for a walk
13. Read books
14. Play with Jello-O with toys hidden inside
15. Put scarves in an empty Kleenex box and have fun pulling them out
16. Play with musical instruments
17. Have a dance party
18. Go to the zoo and feed the animals
19. Play pretend
20. Go for a ride in a strollcycle
21. Play with your pets (under supervision)
22. Crawl through a tunnel
23. Make a toddler-friendly meal together
24. Roll a ball
25. Play with the a Piklar Triangle
What Is A Piklar Triangle?
First, you might be asking, what is a Piklar Triangle? This is a sturdy indoor climbing structure that encourages little ones (from about 6 months up to 6 years) to practice gross motor development skills and physical challenges at their own pace. Babies begin by pulling up on the rungs as they learn to stand, and can slowly teach themselves to explore further by climbing up and eventually over the triangle.
The idea behind the Pikler is to empower young children to safely explore what their body is capable of independently of their parents. The Homi Baby Piklar Triangle encourages curiosity and self-confidence in children’s physical abilities!
The Pikler Triangle is associated with the Montessori method for learning, but it is based on observations of Dr. Pikler, who believed in respectful child-rearing, free movement, and independent learning through play.
Is It Safe?
The short answer, yes! Of course, it is safe. It is made for children to explore. However, just like with everything our babies and toddlers do, it needs to be supervised.
Your Homi Baby Piker Triangle should sit on a mat or a soft surface, with nothing hard and no sharp edges nearby. We introduced our Homi Baby Piklar Triangle to our son outside so there was plenty of room and a soft, grass landing if needed. (I would not recommend leaving it outside due to weathering).
It is important that we observe our children as they explore the triangle. Never put your child into a position or situation they cannot get into themselves.
For example, do not place your child on the third rung, leaving them to feel stuck and unsafe. Encouraging exploration that is beyond their abilities leads to dangerous situations that the child is not ready to handle and could lead to injury.
Chances are if our toddlers get themselves into something, they should be able to get themselves out. Yet, we always want to stay close and assist as needed.
We did encourage our son to explore and showed him how he could climb the rungs with his feet. In my opinion, being barefoot is best when playing on the Triangle so kids can really feel the rung beneath their feet.
One of the reasons we love our Homi Baby Piklar Triangle is because of the versatility of the dual slide/climber. This was the first thing my nearly 1-year-old tried when we first started to play with it.
Although he wasn’t quite ready to climb the rungs independently, he found that he could climb up the ramp and with a little help, could also slide back down.
You can use either the smooth side or the rock climber on any level rung. We started with a very small incline when we first introduced it, but as your little one grows older, you can easily increase the incline for more adventure and fun.
Lauryn R
Tuesday 7th of June 2022
The Homi Piklar Triangle sounds like the perfect way for little ones to play and exercise! I think this is great and would be a great gift idea for their first Birthday. The modern dollhouse is really cool, too! My daughter would love it.
Amber Ludwig
Sunday 19th of December 2021
So many great ideas! We just got my toddler a pikler triangle for Christmas and I cannot wait to give it to him!!
Peggy Nunn
Tuesday 1st of June 2021
I like the idea of reading to a child. Teach them to love books.
monique s
Sunday 23rd of May 2021
I love playing on the swings. Hard to find them in safe and good condition in the park these days, but fun when it happens
monique s
Sunday 2nd of May 2021
The water table looks so much fun to splash ones hands in and float little boats and toys