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Interactive Games.
Babies love games at this age (Pat-a-Cake, This Little Piggy). Try different ways of playing the games and see if your baby will try it with you. Hide behind furniture or doors for Peek-a-boo; clap blocks or pan lids for Pat-a-cake.
Unwrapping Surprises.
Loosely wrap a small toy in a paper towel or facial tissue without tape. Your baby can unwrap it and find a surprise. Use tissue paper or wrapping paper, too. It's brightly colored and noisy.
Make Sound Shakers.
String canning rims together or fill medicine bottles (with child-proof caps) with different-sounding objects like marbles, rice, salt, bolts, and so forth. Be careful to secure lids tightly.
Make a Surprise Bag.
Fill a paper or cloth bag with a soft toy,
something to make a sound, a little plastic
jar with a screw-top lid, or a book with
cardboard pages.
Vary the Amusements.
Your baby is learning that different toys do different things. Give your baby a lot of things to roll, push, pull, hug, shake, poke, turn, stack, spin, and stir.
Adapted from ASQ-3TM User's Guide by Squires, Twombly, Bricker, & Potter. © 2009 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.