At 11 months, your baby is racing towards the one-year milestone. They have achieved several milestones in the past few weeks, and are still learning new skills, improving old skills, and trying to understand several concepts from their environment. They have a lot of energy and can keep going on until you force them down for a nap. So, ensure to follow some top activities for an 11 month old baby.
An 11 month old’s brain is constantly turning on its wheel, wondering what to do next, what to try or why something happens. They will try to do many things without knowing what is safe or dangerous. Exposing them to safe activities can quench this curiosity and feed their hungry minds.
In This Article
- What Activities Can You Expect From A 11 Month Old Baby?
- Top Fun And Engaging Activities For A 11 Month Old Baby
What Activities Can You Expect From A 11 Month Old Baby?
At 11 months, your baby can do some or most of these things
- Babble as a way of communication and sometimes say a word or two. Some babies can say words like mamma, papa, and a few other mono-syllable words.
- Crawl well with balance and speed, and pull themselves up to stand with balance, or help. Some babies can be taking their first steps with or without help.
- Sort a few toys based on shape or color. They can put a toy or a ball into holes or openings
- Arrange toys both vertically and horizontally
- Sit without support and play for a long time
Top Fun And Engaging Activities For A 11 Month Old Baby
An 11 month old is full of energy and curiosity. Activities can engage them for hours on end and teach them several skills and concepts. Learning is easier and more effective when done through activities. If you are looking for some fun and interesting activities for your baby, here are a few you can try.
1. Tiny Trampoline
Babies love to jump up and down. Many babies will bounce on the bed and sometimes even on the floor, on their bottoms. Your baby is still too young and will require support to bounce on a trampoline. It could be the sides or your hands, but they need to hold on to something when they bounce.
What You Will Need?
- A trampoline
- Few pillows around
- Yourself and your baby
Benefits of Trampoline Activity
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improves Balance | When your baby jumps, they will fall initially but eventually, they learn to land properly. They learn to balance, which is an important skill they will need for various physical activities and sports in the future. |
| Introduces New Movement | We all walk, run and even roll. Jumping on a trampoline allows you to bounce continuously without hurting any joints. This is a new movement that we can’t do anywhere else. Your baby will learn this movement and scream with joy every time their feet take off from the surface. |
a) Improves Balance
When your baby jumps, they will fall initially but eventually, they learn to land properly. They learn to balance, which an important skill they will need for various physical activities and sports in the future.
b) Introduces New Movement
We all walk, run and even roll. Jumping on a trampoline allows you to bounce continuously without hurting any joints. This is a new movement that we can’t do anywhere else. Your baby will learn this movement and scream with joy every time their feet take off from the surface.
Tips For Parents
- Always be around and watch your bouncing baby very closely
- Invest in a small trampoline. Bigger trampolines will be too wide and the bounce will also be higher, which is not safe for small babies.
- A closed trampoline (with a safety net all around) is safer than an open trampoline
- Use pillows and cushions on the floor around the trampoline to break a bad fall
2. Climb Cushions
Climbing is an important milestone for a baby to cross. Babies at this age will love to climb just about anything. If you sit down on the floor, they will climb all over you to reach something you have kept further away.
What You Will Need?
- Cushions
- Yourself and your baby
- A safe space free of clutter or objects that can hurt your baby.
Benefits of Climbing Cushions
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improves Mobility | Babies learn to use all muscles in various ways when they climb. It is very different from running and jumping. They need balance and strength to carry their body weight, which improves overall mobility. Climbing is an important life skill your baby has to learn. |
| Better Understanding Of Own Body Abilities | Climbing a cushion that can slip or move requires a lot of concentration and balance. A baby will test their ability and push the body’s capabilities. With this activity, they learn what their body can do with a little effort. |
a) Improves Mobility
Babies learn to use all muscles in various ways when they climb. It is very different from running and jumping. They need balance and strength to carry their body weight, which improves overall mobility. Climbing is an important life skill your baby has to learn.
b) Better Understanding Of Own Body Abilities
Climbing a cushion that can slip or move requires a lot of concentration and balance. A baby will test their ability and push the body’s capabilities. With this activity, they learn what their body can do with a little effort.
Tips For Parents
- Always stay around your baby to prevent or catch them during a bad fall
- Don’t place cushions near a wall or furniture as your baby might hit against such surfaces
- Keep some interesting toys or items at some height. It will encourage your baby to climb up.
3. Water Coloring
Babies love colors and watercolors are something new. They are just exploring this option.
What You Will Need?
- Non-toxic watercolors
- Brushes and sponges
- Messy mat
- Your baby and yourself
Benefits of Water Coloring
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improves Creativity | Colors bring out creativity in everyone. Your baby will try different strokes, and color combinations and just explore. Stimulating the creative part of the brain is very essential for its overall development. |
| Open-Ended Play | There is no right or wrong way with colors. They can paint, pour, spray or just create a mess. Such open-ended play stimulates and expands a child’s cognitive abilities to new angles. It keeps them busy and their curiosity can be satiated to an extent. |
a) Improves Creativity
Colors bring out creativity in everyone. Your baby will try different strokes, and color combinations and just explore. Stimulating the creative part of the brain is very essential for its overall development.
b) Open-Ended Play
There is no right or wrong way with colors. They can paint, pour, spray or just create a mess. Such open-ended play stimulates and expands a child’s cognitive abilities to new angles. It keeps them busy and their curiosity can be satiated to an extent.
Tips For Parents
- Let your child create a mess. It is how they learn. Do not panic and restrict what they can do with colors
- Use old clothes or a smock to protect clothes from paint
- You can even leave your baby in their diaper or underwear and wash off all the paint once they finish
- Let them use paint brushes, their hands, and shaped sponges to paint or explore
- Use newspapers or a plastic mess-free mat to protect your floors.
4. Reach The Toy
We tend to keep things away from the baby’s reach and it is their ultimate motive to reach for them. Once you move something away from their reach, they start putting in all efforts to grab that particular item. Reaching for toys can be a great way to make them move.
What You Will Need?
- Few toys
- Your baby and yourself
Benefits of Reach The Toy Activity
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improves Spatial Awareness | Babies learn how far the toy is from them and understand how much they need to move, to reach that item. |
| Increases Mobility | It makes the baby climb, reach out, stretch and move in new ways. It increases the overall mobility of the body which is very essential for physical development and strengthening. |
a) Improves Spatial Awareness
Babies learn how far the toy is from them and understand how much they need to move, to reach that item.
b) Increases Mobility
It makes the baby climb, reach out, stretch and move in new ways. It increases the overall mobility of the body which is very essential for physical development and strengthening.
Tips For Parents
- Keep a handful of their favorite toys to place in different spots around them
- Slowly increase the distance at which you keep the toys
5. Home-Made Playdough
Babies love to work with play dough. The chemicals used in the commercials may not be safe for a young baby. This is why the age recommendation is 3+ years on those boxes. Making this dough at home opens up play opportunities for your baby.
What You Will Need?
- Simple instructions and ingredients to make your own playdough
- Some food colors
- Some space free of tiny items
- Your baby and yourself
Benefits of Home-Made Playdough Activity
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Strengthen Fingers | Working with play dough can work the fingers and strengthen them. It improves the way the fingers work, which is very essential to help them hold a pencil or write. It also improves the ability to play with small items or even pick things off a surface. |
| Sensory Development | Using their hands to explore, experience and play will improve their senses. They can feel the texture, and experience how it stretches and sticks to their hands. |
a) Strengthen Fingers
Working with play dough can work the fingers and strengthen them. It improves the way the fingers work, which is very essential to help them hold a pencil or write. It also improves the ability to play with small items or even pick things off a surface.
b) Sensory Development
Using their hands to explore, experience and play will improve their senses. They can feel the texture, and experience how it stretches and sticks to their hands.
Since it is made at home, it is free of any harmful chemicals and you need not worry if your baby spends a lot of time working with it.
Tips For Parents
- Use food coloring to make the dough colorful
- Use edible ingredients to make the dough as babies mouth everything at this age
- Stay close to them to ensure they don’t stuff their mouth or nose with the dough.
6. Story Time
Telling stories to babies has been an age-old way to engage young minds. It can be stories from books, from real life, or just your imagination. Your baby won’t know the difference but will just listen to you no matter what.
What You Will Need?
- Your baby, yourself, and some imagination
Benefits of Story Time
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Language Development | Listening to words in different tones, with expressions and gestures will not only improve communication skills but will improve their language too. Babies pick words and phrases from what they hear regularly. |
| Improves Concentration | When you keep narrating stories to your baby, they will ignore everything else around them and listen to you with full attention. As your baby focuses and follows the story as you tell or read it, their concentration improves. |
a) Language Development
Listening to words in different tones, with expressions and gestures will not only improve communication skills but will improve their language too. Babies pick words and phrases from what they hear regularly.
b) Improves Concentration
When you keep narrating stories to your baby, they will ignore everything else around them and listen to you with full attention. As your baby focuses and follows the story as you tell or read it, their concentration improves.
Tips For Parents
- Tell them stories about animals, birds, and characters they can understand. It helps them relate more
- Use your hands and expressions to make the story interesting
- You can use props too.
When you do age0-appropriate activities with your baby. It stimulates the brain in many ways. These activities facilitate development without making them do anything specifically. It can be a fun way to introduce and teach your baby about many things.
