Seven months since your little one arrived. It is such a beautiful, and uncomplicated stage where your baby is still learning what their bodies are capable of doing, testing their cognitive limits and your ability to withstand near heart attacks. Every time your baby tries to do something you are sure they can’t, your heart is in your throat. You are not sure if you should stop them or let them explore. Help them explore more with some top activities that are helpful for a 7 month old baby.
A 7 month old is learning to do many things, with their limbs and their toys. Many parents try to stop them from doing many things either to keep them safe or to avoid a mess. While it is important to keep your baby safe, it is safe to let them explore too. Doing activities with your baby is the safest way to let them learn their abilities.
In This Article
- What Activities Can You Expect From a 7 Month Old Baby?
- Top Fun and Engaging Activities For a 7 Month Old Baby
What Activities Can You Expect From a 7 Month Old Baby?
Knowing what your 7 month old is capable of, can help you figure out what activities are suitable for them. You can come up with ideas to help them improve and learn new skills. A 7 month old can roll over from their stomach to back. Many can roll both ways, in one or both directions. They will show interest in sitting up and can do so for a few minutes with sufficient support.
Your baby at this stage can identify colors and will most probably have a favorite shade. They will go with anything in that color. They can identify faces and voices, and also understand tones. If someone were to speak to them in a high-pitched or stern voice, you can mostly catch them crumbling into a pool of tears.
Some babies can understand movement and will show interest in toys that can move- either on battery or when you manually push them. They will show interest in shape or color sorting toys as well.
Top Fun and Engaging Activities For a 7 Month Old Baby
If you are looking for the six most enjoyable activities you can do with your 7 month old, here they are
1. Follow the Rattle
At this stage, your baby will visually follow the movement of something that catches their attention. Try giving them a rattle, and let them get excited looking at it. Now, move it from one side to the other and see how their eyes follow the rattle wherever you take it. They will even strain their neck backward to see the rattle until it is out of sight.
What You Will Need?
You, your baby, and a colorful and noisy rattle
Top Benefits of Following the Rattle For 7 Month Old Baby
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Develops Vision and Eye Tracking | Baby will love to follow the rattle as much as their necks can turn. It improves their eyes’ ability to track an object without crossing. It improves the movement of the eyeballs as well. |
| Improves Focus | Your baby will learn to focus just on the rattle and avoid other distractions. This is an important ability that will help them as they grow up. |
| Neck Mobility | Try taking the rattle all the way from the top till it can touch the surface on one side. Your baby’s head will turn all the way to see the rattle. It makes them turn their neck both ways, which is essential. |
Tips For Parents
- Use colorful and noisy rattles to bring back attention in case of distractions
- Try playing this game in an area with very minimal distractions
- Move the rattle slowly and within a close distance from the baby
- If your baby loses interest, let them go. Their eyes and brain can get tired easily and a break is essential.
2. Rhyme Time
Rhymes have long been “for babies”. They are composed of attractive tunes with rhyming words which are easier for the brain to grasp. Babies love them and some rhymes have interesting and important lessons for the baby to learn from.
What You Will Need?
- Your baby and yourself
- Some rhymes books or lyrics on your phone
- A reasonably quiet environment
Top Benefits of Rhyme Time For a 7 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of rhyme time for babies
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Language Development | Hearing the songs repeatedly will help your baby pick up the language and learn new words with tunes. |
| Cognitive Development | Repeated exposure to the rhymes can help the baby learn and commit the words along with the tune, to their memory. |
Tips For Parents
- Try to avoid very bright or fast-moving images on the TV or the smartphone.
- Try reading or singing the rhymes to them, like how our parents did for us.
- Repeat a few rhymes over and over again instead of singing something new every time.
[Read : Motor And Cognitive Skills Development Of A Baby]
3. Playing With Shadows
While it may seem scary for some babies at first, many will eventually start enjoying it when you accompany these shadows with animated voices. This is a simple game that can entertain your baby for a long time. The best part is, that you can play this game almost anywhere, so it can be something you do with your baby when they are bored or cranky too.
What You Will Need?
- Baby in a good mood
- A plain wall or floor
- Torchlight or a bright light source from above the head or behind you
Top Benefits of Playing With Shadows For 7 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of playing with shadows for babies
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improves Creativity | Singing encourages the baby to babble along or repeat the tune later. Babies cannot follow or repeat a tune as it is, but they will get creative and add their own twist to it. |
| Encourages Independent Play | Many babies might sit and play with their own shadows or shadows of their toys, for a while. It teaches them to play on their own without looking for an active companion or an adult. |
Tips For Parents
- You can make your baby sit near the wall and shine a light on them from the back.
- You can try showing shadow shapes and figures using your hands or even props.
- Let your baby try to catch their own shadow on the wall, it can be very entertaining for them and you.
[Read : When Do Babies Start Seeing Colors?]
4. Playing With Colors
By this stage, a baby’s brain can differentiate between bright and dark colors. They can even identify different colors though not associate them with words.
What You Will Need?
- Colorful small objects your baby can hold and lift (blocks, rings, balls)
- Active baby
- Adult supervision
Top Benefits of Playing With Colors For 7 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of playing with colors for babies
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Helps Identify Colors | Playing with different colors helps them learn and identify different colors. |
| Calm Down Baby | In case your baby is crying hysterically or inconsolably, giving them items in their favorite color can keep them quiet for a while. |
Tips For Parents
- Use items that are both colorful and light for the baby to carry
- Ensure you have their favorite color toy in stock
- Do not associate any color with a person’s gender
5. Roll Over
By this time most babies will comfortably roll over from their stomachs to their back and also back to their stomachs again. Many babies can do this comfortably on both the right and left sides.
What You Will Need?
- A soft mat/bed
- Active baby
- Safe space free of items that can poke or hurt your baby
Top Benefits of Rolling Over For 7 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of rolling over for babies
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Develops Gross Motor Skills | Rolling over requires your baby to use their entire arms for putting pressure and helping the body move. As they use more of the larger muscle groups, their gross motor skills will improve and get them ready for more movements. |
| Improves Body Balance | Babies need to balance on one side to roll over. Learning to balance their body weight is essential to help them move as they grow up. They also learn how much pressure or force is required to move their body in a certain direction. |
Tips For Parents
- Ensure there are no sharp or tiny objects around, which the baby can roll over to
- Always put your baby on a floor bed and not on a high bed
- Keep enough pillows or obstacles around them, to prevent them from rolling off.
[Read : Baby’s Gross Motor Skill Development]
6. The Calling Game
Your baby will recognize and respond to their name at this stage. If not their official name, they will respond to the name you address them by. Using their name can help improve the association with the name and they will start responding to anyone calling them by that name.
What You Will Need?
Yourself and your baby
Top Benefits of the Calling Game For 7 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of the calling game for babies
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Creates Identity | Baby learns to respond well when you call their name. no matter who calls, they will turn toward the source of the sound as they recognize their name. |
| Improves Response Time | The more familiar the baby gets with their name and the focus on your voice, the faster they will respond. Quick response time is an essential skill your baby will require as they get older. |
| Identify the Source of Sound | Even if you hide behind a curtain and call out to your baby, they will turn towards your side and search for you. Your baby will learn to identify the direction of the sound. |
Tips For Parents
- Involve a partner or others in the house to make it more exciting
- Use simple props like a book or your hand to cover your face first and once the baby learns to move it, you can start hiding behind the door or curtain and call out.
Your 7 month old baby is exploring a lot of possibilities with their limbs and minds. Doing interesting activities can enable them to test their limits, learn new skills in a fun manner, and also show you what they are capable of.
