14 Fun And Easy Activities For 9-Month-Olds
As your baby gets closer and closer to turning one year old, they start to take a little more interest in their surroundings. At 9-months-old, I’m sure your little one is beginning to realize that toys and activities are a bit more fun than they used to be!
That’s where these fun activities for 9-month-olds come in. Each activity on this list is simple while still being exciting and beneficial for your child. Even better, many of these activities are perfect for indoors or outdoors.
It’s incredible to watch our babies grow and develop. As you read this list, keep in mind that your baby might not be ready for some of these activities, and that’s ok! Babies develop at different rates, and that’s perfectly normal. However, never hesitate to call your doctor with any questions you have.
Let’s Start With Some Developmental Milestones For 9-Month-Olds
At 9 months old, most babies will be able to…
- Sit without support
- Crawl. That can mean crawling on hands and knees or scooting around on their tummy; either way is excellent.
- Pull themselves up to standing.
- Play along in games of anticipation, like peekaboo.
- Uses both hands to play with toys.
- Turn head to track objects.
Keep these milestones in mind as you begin to choose fun 9-month-old activities to help challenge your baby.
Now, on to the list of activities for 9-month-olds:
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1. Reading
Reading is a great activity to do with babies of any age. When babies are younger, board books are the best option to go with. Board books can withstand baby hands pulling on the pages and the inevitable amounts of drool.
One thing that my son has always loved is touch and feel books. He especially loves the “Never Touch Aโฆ” series. These books have silly stories with plenty of cool textures to feel!
But really, any board book that has colorful, exciting pages to look at or something fun to feel will be a big hit. Another great option is lift-the-flap books; you might need to help your child lift the flaps, but they are sure to keep your little one engaged.
Benefits of reading:
- Quiet bonding time
- Encourages communication
- Helps build vocabulary and listening skills
You’ll also love: The Best Board Books For Babies And Toddlers
2. Pots and Wooden Spoons
If you have an extra pot sitting in your kitchen cupboard and a wooden spoon that you can spare, your baby will be so excited when you set the two in front of them!
Show your baby how to tap or bang on the pot with the spoon, and they will love imitating you. Your kiddo will be so excited to make the noise on their own! Even if you don’t have a spoon, they will enjoy making noises by hitting the pot with their hands.
If you prefer something made for babies, this baby drum set is excellent! It has all the benefits of the pots and spoons, plus fun sounds. Not to mention, it isn’t too loud or obnoxious, and it has an auto shut off after a minute or so.
Benefits of this 9-month-old activity:
- Teaches cause and effect
- Hand-eye coordination
- Musical creativity
3. Play Outside
Outside play is one of the more versatile activities for 9-month-olds. Playing outside with your baby could include going on a walk, stopping by a local park, or just hanging out in your backyard. Not to mention, there are so many indoor activities that you can also take outdoors!
When playing outside with your baby, they will love soaking in the world around them. It’s an excellent opportunity to teach them about things they usually don’t see inside the house.
Also, don’t be afraid of a bit of dirt! Obviously, don’t let your child sit there and eat dirt, but allowing your kiddo to experiment with textures like grass, dirt, or water is great sensory play!
One thing to keep in mind when planning outdoor activities for 9-month-olds is how the weather will be. If it’s a pretty hot day, try to go out early in the morning or maybe in the evening. Avoid direct sunlight, and invest in items like sun hats or shady umbrellas for your yard if you don’t have many trees around.
Benefits of playing outside:
- Different sensory experiences, like grass or water, for example.
- Ensures plenty of fresh air and sunlight
- Opportunity to develop greater self-awareness
- More chances to be physically active
4. Blocks
Blocks will provide some fun entertainment once your baby starts doing fantastic at tummy time or is sitting up completely.
A game that is always a hit is building a taller stack of blocks and having your baby knock it down. If you get excited when your baby knocks the tower over, they will think it’s so funny, and they will want to do it all over again.
Before my son was sitting up on his own, we would mostly play with these blocks. They are soft and have many different things to look at on each side.
After he started sitting up, we use these blocks for towers since they are more sturdy. (Plus, these more sturdy blocks are a hit to chew on during teething times.) Plus, these blocks are perfect starter blocks because they have different numbers, textures, and pictures on each side.
Benefits of playing with blocks:
- Helps to develop hand-eye coordination
- Teach cause and effect
- Can help teach counting and colors
- Promotes fine motor skills and hand muscle development
5. Balls
Balls are another excellent toy for entertaining your 9-month-old, and you can do so many different things with them.
If your baby enjoys knocking down towers, as we talked about above, show them how to roll a ball into the tower to knock it down.
Another thing you can do is roll a colorful ball across the floor to help encourage your baby to crawl after it! We have these balls, and my kiddo loves them! They also have different textures for your child to feel, and they are each different sizes.
Benefits of balls:
- Promotes hand-eye coordination
- Teach cause and effect
- Encourages crawling to chase after the ball
- Promotes fine motor skills and hand muscle development
- Can help teach timing and spatial awareness
6. Peekaboo
You can start playing peekaboo when your child is a younger baby, but it’s also a perfect game for 9-month-olds.
Try using different things to hide behind, such as a blanket, a book, or a pillow. You can also have your baby’s favorite toys play peekaboo with them!
Benefits of playing peekaboo:
- Teaches object permanence
- Great bonding activity
- Promotes visual tracking
7. Practice Walking
If your baby can bear weight on their legs and shows interest in standing and walking, help them practice! Take their hands and guide them down a hallway or just around the room.
Another thing that can help babies practice walking is an activity walker like this one! If you choose to get a walker, make sure your child is in a secure area and can’t push it down a set of stairs.
Benefits of practicing walking:
- Helps to prepare your baby to walk on their own
- Gross motor skill development
- Promotes balancing skills
8. Pillow Mountain
Pillow mountain was always such a big hit at my house, and for a good reason! It’s a wonderful gross motor skill activity for 9-month-olds.
To play pillow mountain, all you have to do is grab a bunch of pillows and cover them with a large blanket. The blanket will help stabilize the pillows and stay together more efficiently. I would typically set this activity up in the living room with all of the throw pillows on the couch.
Once the mountain is assembled, your baby can crawl over it (with your supervision), or you can hide on the other side and play peekaboo!
Benefits of pillow mountain:
- Crawling on uneven surfaces promotes balance
- Gross motor skill development
- Promotes spatial awareness
- Encourages hand and foot coordination
9. Stacking Objects
Stacking is another one of the activities for 9-month-olds that can have many different options. If you have stacking cups like these ones, you can use them in the bathtub or baby pool, spin them on the floor, put other little toys inside them, or make them into a tower. The list goes on and on!
We have these stacking cups, and not only are they budget-friendly, but they are of excellent quality. Plus, your kiddo will love playing with these cups for quite a while! My son is over two years old now and still enjoys playing with them.
Benefits of stacking cups:
- Fine motor skill development
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Teaches cause and effect and balancing objects
- Promotes problem-solving
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10. Singing and Dancing
Younger babies love when you sing to them, but as they get older and start comprehending more, it can be fun to sing songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
I have also found that babies are very entertained if you dance around while they are watching you or while you’re holding them.
When my son was younger, he would hang out in his high chair while I made dinner. I would dance around while cooking to entertain my kiddo, and he always thought it was hilarious!
Benefits of singing and dancing:
- Helps develop language skills and vocabulary
- Promotes creativity and imagination
- Great bonding activity
11. Masking Tape on the Floor, Wall, or Balls
Most babies like picking at things they find, like stickers, for example. That’s where the masking tape (or painter’s tape) comes in.
If your baby is sitting up, one thing you can do is put a piece of masking tape on the wall. Your baby will practice sitting while also practicing using their pincer grip to pull the tape off.
If you have the smaller ball pit-sized balls, take a muffin pan, put a ball in each tin, and put a piece of masking tape across the ball to keep it down. Your baby will love to pick at the tape to finally get the ball free.
Here is a little more advanced version; put masking tape on the ball itself. Your baby will have to work at holding the ball in one hand and picking the tape off with the other hand.
Remember: These two activities should always be supervised to ensure that baby doesn’t eat any tape.
Benefits of this 9-month-old activity:
- Promotes hand-eye coordination
- Teaches cause and effect
- Helps develop pincer grip and fine motor skills
- Encourages problem-solving
12. Ball Drop in a Tube
While you have the masking tape out, grab an old paper towel tube and tape it to the wall low enough that your baby will be able to reach the top.
Then grab some balls that will fit in the tube. I have found that ping pong balls like these ones work the best. Some people suggest using those colorful, fuzzy pompoms, but in my opinion, those are too easy for your baby to pop into their mouth.
Next, your baby can drop the balls down the tube and watch them fall out the other side. If you have a few tubes, you can experiment with taping them to the wall at different angles. This can make it a little more interesting for your little one!
If you have hard floors and decide to use ping pong balls, they will go bouncing off the floor and make fun noises that I’m sure your baby will love.
Benefits of this activity for 9-month-olds:
- Fine motor skill development
- Teaches cause and effect, and hand-eye coordination
- Can help teach object permanence
13. Baby Sign Language
Baby sign language is one of the activities for 9-month-olds that will help encourage better communication. Better communication can mean less frustration for everyone!
You can start teaching your little one sign language earlier than 9-months-old, but it’s never too late to start.
If you are interested in learning more about baby sign language, I recommend this book. It’s helpful if you don’t have much background in sign language. It has pictures with each sign, and it’s so easy to follow.
Benefits of baby sign language:
- Improves communication and language skills
- Helps your child express themself and ease frustration
You’ll also love: The Best Things To Start Teaching Your 1-Year-Old
14. Mess-Free Finger Painting
Letting your baby experiment through art can be kind of tricky if you don’t want to end up with a mess. That’s why mess-free finger painting is one of the most fun activities for 9-month-olds!
When mess-free finger painting, your baby can still feel the squishy paint under their fingers and mix colors together, but the paint is contained in a bag and won’t get anywhere.
Check out this article for step-by-step instructions for mess-free finger painting!
Benefits of mess-free finger painting:
- Promotes creativity and imagination
- Exciting sensory activity
- Teaches cause and effect
I hope you enjoyed these activities for 9-month-olds! Remember that even if you think your baby won’t like a particular activity, you could be pleasantly surprised when you find that they love it! Don’t be afraid to give them all a try.
Before you go, check out these related articles:
- Simple Activities For 12-Month-Olds
- Easy Activities For 18-Month-Olds
- The Best Toys For 6-Month-Olds
- Fun Learning Toys For 18-Month-Olds
- How To (Effectively) Discipline 1-Year-Olds
What are some of your favorite activities for 9-month-olds? I would love to know in the comments below!
Great article! My daughter LOVED stacking cups at that age!
Thanks, Sarah! Stacking cups are a big hit at my house also!
Great list. Love the painting in a baggie, mess-free anything is always welcomed at this age!
This is a great list! I love the masking tape and pillow mountains ideas. I have a 9 month old so I am seeing this list at just the right time. Thanks for the great ideas!
I’m glad you liked these ideas, and I hope your kiddo does too! ๐
Great article and so many good ideas! I miss having a little one.
These are great ideas and they can go well beyond 9 months too! I have a 21-month old and he still loves to do so many of these things. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, Sally! My son is over two-years-old, and he still likes some of these activities, too!
Cool list! My son was also into water toys at that age. He loved rubber duckies, in all shapes, colors, and sizes. I liked the idea with the masking tape; never heard of this before. We had a Montessori activity board mounted to the wall for him to learn to press buttons, move and turn things, pull things, etc. He also had a little mirror with a beam (like for ballet dancers, just in baby height) on his wall to practice pulling himself up.
That Montessori board sounds fantastic! And I love the idea of a beam for babies to pull themselves up. Thanks for sharing those ideas, Chrissy!
When my boys were on that stage, they loved playing with rattles, musical toys and balls.