Shake, Rattle, and Roll Fun!

It’s never too early to start playing games to help your child reach their sensory, communication, feeding, and motor milestones.

Week 14

Games

Games to Play

  • Blow Raspberries: Before dressing baby, press your lips on their tummy and blow air on their skin to make a noise. The sound and funny feeling will make them smile and giggle. This encourages baby to make their own noises and lip movements, which is good practice for babbling and copying sounds. Helps baby build communication skills. 
  • Put on a Show!: Do something silly in front of baby! Dance the YMCA or act out the movements and sounds of your favorite animal. Baby should be laughing out loud. Helps baby learn to focus their attention and follow moving objects. 
  • Supported Stand: Hold on to baby’s trunk in a standing position on your lap. Lift them slightly up and down to help them try to put weight on their feet. Helps baby learn what it feels like to stand.

Games for Your 14 Week Old Baby

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Week 15

Games

Games to Play

  • Copy-Cat Chit-Chat: Encourage baby to make noise by responding as if in conversation. Repeat sounds they make and add new words. Baby will learn the give and take of communication and may begin to babble sounds from words they’ve heard you say. Helps baby develop communication skills.
  • Teething Time: Give baby teething rings that have different textures, e.g. bumpy or smooth. Gives baby a new sensory experience.
  • Roll Baby Roll: Lie down next to baby and put them on their side, supported by a rolled-up blanket. Talk so they reach for you until they roll over. Clap when they do! Roll baby back gently so they keep rolling. Helps baby strengthen core muscles to prepare for future milestones.
  • Rattle Shakes: Keep playing with rattles and encourage baby to reach for them. Try placing the rattle above baby’s chest, between knees, and out to the sides. Don’t forget to let baby shake it! Helps baby develop motor skills by encouraging them to reach for toys and hold them.

Games for Your 15 Week Old Baby

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Week 16

Games

Games to Play

  • Toy Challenge #1: Hold baby on your lap. Try to get them to reach for a toy. Help them switch the toy from one hand to the other. Helps baby work on hand-eye coordination.
  • Texture Time: Let baby touch fabric with different textures such as wool and velvet. Use a different word to describe each one to him: “soft”, “rough”, “smooth”. Baby won’t understand the meaning, but it’s still good to expose baby to new words. Helps baby learn about the world around them through their sense of touch.
  • Elevator Fun: Pretend baby is riding in an elevator. Lie on your back and hold baby steady with your hands. Slowly push them up in the air. Say “Ding!” once you get to the top. Then lower baby back own and “Ding!” again when they reach the ground. Helps baby build strength with Tummy Time.
  • Yakety Yak: Encourage two-way communication. When baby coos or babbles be sure to respond and take turns “talking.” Helps baby learn that language goes back and forth.

Games for Your 16 Week Old Baby

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Week 17

Games

Games to Play

  • Toy Challenge #2: Show baby a favorite stuffed animal. Help them to touch it. Ask what it could be. Then tell them what it is. “It’s a kitty!” Helps baby use sense of touch and follow objects with eyes.
  • Action Songs: Count and wiggle baby’s fingers and toes as you sing “This Little Piggy” or clap baby’s hands and feet together while you repeat “Pat-A-Cake.” Repeating rhymes teaches early language skills. Helps baby build awareness of their body and practice communication skills.
  • A Song to Move the Job Along: Narrate what you’re doing as baby watches you. Say, “open and close” using doors, cupboards, toys with lids, and dishwashers. Make up a song about it as you go: “Open and close it, clap, clap, clap” (clap your hands). Helps baby learn there are words used to describe actions and objects.
  • Act Out: Make baby’s toys come to life! Act out simple stories with baby’s toys and stuffed animals. Helps expose baby to new sounds.

Games for Your 17 Week Old Baby

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Week 18

Games

Games to Play

  • On and Off: Show baby how to turn things on and off including, lights, water faucets, etc. Repeat “On!” or “Off!” each time. Try this with a flashlight too. Baby will enjoy watching the light move around the room. Helps baby learn new words and sets the foundation for understanding cause and effect.
  • Rock and Roll Over: Baby may be rocking back and forth on tummy or rolling on the floor as he gains better control over his movement. Encourage baby to continue rolling by holding a toy out for them to reach during Tummy Time. Helps baby build muscles to roll from tummy to back.
  • Tummy Time Peek-a-Boo: Play peek-a-boo while baby is on her tummy. Cover your face with your hands. Surprise baby when you appear again. When you reappear, say her name and give her a wide smile. Helps baby become playful while improving core strength during Tummy Time.

Games for Your 18 Week Old Baby

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Week 19

Games

Games to Play

  • Lifting Up and Down: Try this form of exercise with baby. Lift baby up high above your head and bring them back down low. Helps baby develop their sense of balance and body position.
  • Play Ball!: Find a ball designed for babies with different textures. Hand baby the ball and see what they do with it. Show different things they can do: roll the ball, drop it in a box. Helps baby develop motor skills and explore textures.
  • Light Moves: Place baby on your lap sitting upright and lightly move your knees up and down and then side to side. Make sure to hold on to baby! Helps baby experience new types of movement.

Games for Your 19 Week Old Baby

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Week 20

Games

Games to Play

  • Body Massage: After a bath or during changing, gently massage baby from top of head to bottom of feet. Massages are good for all babies. Helps baby bond with you, use their sense of touch, and use their vision to focus on you.
  • Noise Makers: Give baby toys that make noise. Baby is starting to learn cause and effect. They may start to shake, drop, or bang toys together. You can give baby household items like pots, pans, spoons, etc. Helps baby learn to play with toys in different ways to see how they move and sound.
  • Ten Toe Surprise: Baby has probably found his feet and spends long stretches of time reaching and playing with them. Try touching their toes, saying a number for each one, or singing “This Little Piggy”. Helps baby learn to focus attention while using his eyes to follow your movements.
  • Yummy in My Tummy: As your baby begins to eat solid foods, talk to baby about their pureed food while you feed them, “Yummy bite of squash!” Helps baby develop language skills.

Games for Your 20 Week Old Baby

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Week 21

Games

Games to Play

  • Smooth Tummy Ride: Place baby tummy down on a thick towel and grasp the corners. Slowly circle around the room, basing your movement on baby’s level of comfort. Do this activity on a soft surface, like carpet, free of toys and household items. (Make sure they can hold their head up.) Helps baby improve neck and head control and strengthens back, shoulder muscles and core.
  • Sightseeing with Baby: Place baby in a carrier or baby wrap while you vacuum the floor or tidy up the house. You get chores done and baby has fun moving around the house with you. Make sure baby is safely secured. Helps baby develop sense of balance and body position, and gives baby new opportunities to see their surroundings.
  • Roll Me!: If baby is not able to fully roll over on their own, help them by holding one leg and slowly guiding them through the motion of rolling onto their tummy. Switch directions so they can practice rolling to both sides! Helps baby learn to roll over.
  • Ring Around the Tosies: Gently place a small ring toy around baby’s foot and lift foot into baby’s view. Encourage baby to reach for it. Helps baby work on hand-eye coordination and core strength.

Games for Your 21 Week Old Baby

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Week 22

Games

Games to Play

  • A Solid Move: Introduce Stage 1, smooth purees after you have breast or bottle fed baby. To help transition, end the meal with some more milk or formula after baby has tried some solids. (Consult baby’s healthcare provider about starting cereals and pureed foods.) Helps baby develop feeding skills.
  • Swipe Away: Encourage baby to swipe at objects held in front of them. Have baby practice “raking” movements by letting them use their fingers to grasp and pull objects. Hold the item in different positions to encourage reaching from side to side. Helps baby develop motor skills.
  • Messy Eater: Baby may be a messy eater at first, that’s ok! Let baby touch and play with their food to feel all of the different textures. Helps baby learn about different food textures.
  • Little Chef: Baby is probably already in their highchair while you’re cooking, try making your time in the kitchen a learning experience. Let baby smell the foods you are cooking and talk through what you are doing. Helps expose baby to new sensory experiences.

Games for Your 22 Week Old Baby

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Week 23

Games

Games to Play

  • Taking the Spotlight: Baby should recognize familiar caregivers, try to get their attention, and engage with them. During calm moments, walk back and forth slowly past baby then smile and talk to baby if they try to get your attention. Helps baby learn to communicate with you by making sounds and using gestures.
  • Sit On Up: Place baby in sitting position on the floor with their hands in front of their legs so they can push themselves up using their arms. Baby’s back may look rounded in this position. Don’t worry, baby’s back will become straighter as they get stronger. Helps baby learn to support themself in sitting.
  • Roll Away: When baby learns to roll over on their own, lay down or wave a toy a little bit away from baby to see if they’ll roll over to get it. Helps baby develop core muscle strength.
  • Fun Faces: Make different faces at baby. Smile, frown, or stick your tongue out. Let baby touch your face and explore your nose, mouth, and other features. Helps baby learn to focus his eyes on objects.

Games for Your 23 Week Old Baby

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Week 24

Games

Games to Play

  • Winding Up: Play with toys that move. All curious babies love a jack in the box or a wind-up toy that makes repetitive movements. Helps baby develop visual skills.
  • Break Out the Board Books: Baby loves the sound of your voice while you read and the colors and shapes in books. Mix it up by reading in different locations or during Tummy Time. “Reading” can also be describing pictures without following the written words. Helps baby develop vision and listening skills.
  • Nature Walks: Go for a walk outside and let baby hear the sounds around them. Helps expose baby to new sensations.

Games for Your 24 Week Old Baby

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Week 25

Games

Games to Play

  • Sit Up Straight: Support baby’s back to help them sit up. Look at a book with baby in this position. Helps them strengthen muscles needed to sit up on his own. Make this more fun for baby by using funny noises while you read. Helps baby develop strength.
  • Pureed Food: Try introducing new pureed foods to baby. Only serve one new food at a time and wait four days in case of allergic reaction before introducing another food. Be sure everything is thoroughly cooked and blended before letting baby try it. Helps baby develop feeding and swallowing skills.
  • Chew On This: When baby cries from teething, offer a toy or blanket made for chewing. Helps baby soothe during teething.
  • Chatter Box: Talk to baby often to let them hear the sounds and rhythms of speech. Describe your actions throughout the day as you dress, feed, and bathe baby. Listen as baby responds to you. Helps develop baby’s language skills.

Games for Your 25 Week Old Baby

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Week 26

Games

Games to Play

  • Household Hub-Bub: Use household items like squeeze toys or newspapers to make different noises for baby. Repeat sounds at different volumes and in different orders to keep them interested. Then give them the items and help them make sounds. Helps baby develop motor and listening skills.
  • Floor Explorer: Create a safe place on the floor for baby to explore. Engage with baby. Try holding out toys for them to reach while talking and using facial expressions. Helps baby improve neck and head control, strengthen back, shoulder muscles and core.
  • Lean and Reach: While baby is sitting, place toys out of his reach so he has to shift his weight and move to get the toy. Helps baby develop motor skills.
  • Feeding Tip: Try following a regular feeding schedule to help baby eat consistent amounts of food. Helps to make sure baby is getting the appropriate amount of food.

Games for Your 26 Week Old Baby

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