Engaging and Educational Activities for 7 Month Old

Watching your baby grow is one of the best feelings in the world. As they grow and develop from a newborn into a toddler, you get to watch your baby grow in front of your eyes. With your help and guidance, they will grow into beautiful children. 

To help your child grow and develop as they should, you need to do activities with them. These activities are vital for them to develop skills that they will carry with them throughout the rest of their lives. But knowing where to begin with these activities isn’t easy. 

In this guide, we’ve got you covered. Here we’ll take a look at some of the skills that you should be targeting with your 7 month old, and some of the best activities for your child’s development.

So if you are looking for inspiration, you are in the right place. Keep on reading to find out more! 

What Skills Should Your 7 Month Old Be Working Towards?

Before we take a look at any activities for you to complete with your child, let’s take a look at some of the skills that you should be aiming to target. By the time your baby reaches 7 months old, you will have already seen them develop all sorts of different skills. They already will have grown so much from that newborn baby that you brought home from the hospital, and every single day you will see their personality develop. 

At 7 months of age, your child will be starting to develop their vocabulary. At this stage, they won’t be talking, but your baby will begin to babble. In order for your baby to learn to talk, they will need to hear noises so that they can replicate them. So at this stage of their life, a lot of your child’s knowledge will come from replication, and one of the key skills you should be working to develop is speech. 

Some of the other actions that your child should be developing involve movement. By the age of 7 months, your baby will have developed quite a lot, and they will be working towards moving on their own. Your baby will be nearing a point where they will be sitting up on their own and maybe even rolling around on their tummy. So this is another skill that your baby should be working towards, and one that you can help them develop through play time activities. 

Activities for 7 Month Old

Now that we have taken a look at some of the skills that your 7 month old should be trying to develop, let’s take a look at some activities that can help your child develop these skills. There are tons of different super fun activities that you can do with your baby when they are just 7 months old. Here are some of the options that you should try to fit into your baby’s day-to-day play time. 

Peek a Boo

First up, we have Peek a Boo. Peek a boo is an absolute classic when you have kids, and it is one that almost every parent will play with their child at some point. It is one that is enjoyable for both you and your baby, and one that will fill you with joy every single time you see your baby’s face light up. 

Peek a boo is a great activity because it is so easy to do. You don’t need anything fancy to play peek a boo with your baby, all you need is yourself, your baby and some spare time. As you play peek a boo with your baby you will get to see them smile and laugh at your face. You’ll both have a swell time! 

Picture Books

Another great activity to complete with your baby is reading. While your baby will not be able to read, a picture book will be enough to keep them occupied. As you go through the book, you will be able to read the sentences to them as they admire the pictures and get introduced to new things. 

There are so many excellent picture books out there, and some that are absolute classics. There are books that you may have read as a child, books that you can pass onto the next generation by introducing them to your baby. Picture books are great fun, and an excellent way to keep your baby occupied while you work on their skills. 

Family Picture Game

Playing games with a 7-month-old baby can be an enjoyable and bonding experience for the whole family. One game that can be particularly fun is a family picture game. In this game, you can show your baby pictures of family members and help them learn to recognize and remember the faces of their loved ones.

Here are some simple steps to follow when playing this game:

• Collect pictures of family members that your baby is likely to recognize, such as parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
• Find a comfortable spot where you can sit down with your baby and show them the pictures.
• Start by showing your baby one picture at a time. Hold the picture up close to your baby’s face so they can see it clearly.
• As you show each picture, say the name of the person in the picture. You can also describe the person, such as “This is your grandma. She loves to bake cookies for you.”
• After you have gone through all the pictures, you can start again with the same pictures or add new ones. Repetition is important for helping your baby remember the faces of their loved ones.
• You can make the game more interactive by asking your baby to point to the person in the picture or by making silly faces while holding up the pictures.
• Remember that your baby’s attention span is limited, so keep the game short and sweet. You can play for a few minutes at a time throughout the day.

Playing the family picture game with your 7-month-old can be a fun way to help them develop their cognitive and social skills. By showing them pictures of loved ones, you are also helping them feel connected to their family and building strong bonds that will last a lifetime.

Puree Game

Playing the puree game with a seven-month-old baby is a fun activity to introduce them to different tastes and textures. Here’s how to play:

1. Start with a small spoonful of a pureed solid food, either a vegetable or a fruit.
2. Let baby sit on high chair (see best Montessori style high chairs) and offer the spoon to your baby and encourage them to open their mouth. You can make fun noises or faces to get their attention.
3. If your baby doesn’t want to eat food purees, don’t force it. You can try again later or try a different flavor.
4. If your baby does eat the puree, praise them and offer another spoonful.
5. Keep playing the puree game with new foods with different flavors and textures. You can also mix purees together to create new tastes.
6. As your baby gets older, you can start offering finger foods and letting them feed themselves.

Remember, the puree game should be a fun and positive experience for both you and your baby. Don’t stress if your baby doesn’t take to a certain flavor or texture right away. Keep trying and have fun!

Tummy Time

Tummy time is essential for all babies to develop, and it is great to continue this activity as your baby grows older. At seven months, most babies learn muscle control and most of them have a strong upper body strength. You can even integrate tummy exercises with crawling games by hiding objects and toys and letting your baby look for them.

The great thing about letting your baby lie belly down is that it allows you to get things done. While your baby spends time on their tummy, you can get little jobs done while you keep an eye on your child. It is great because this activity doesn’t really require you to be too present. However, you should still check on your baby because if they fall asleep you need to gently pull them into lying down position.

Blowing Bubbles

Babies love bubbles. As you blow bubbles your baby will be able to watch these bubbles be created, float around in the air, and eventually pop. Not only are bubbles beautiful, but they are fascinating too with their iridescent color. 

If your baby has never seen bubbles before, the first time that you blow them will be mind-blowing. But your child will likely have the same reaction every single time you blow the bubbles. Your baby will have lots of fun, and it is a cheap activity to complete with them. Everybody will enjoy watching the bubbles blow up and eventually pop. 

Building Blocks

Playing with a classic game of building blocks is a fun and educational activity for babies as young as 7 months old. Not only does it help develop their fine motor skills, but it also helps your baby learn hand-eye coordination and cognitive abilities. Here are some play ideas that encourage movement and support cognitive development, language skills, locomotion skills and visual skills.

Choose the right blocks

Select blocks that are appropriate for your baby’s age and stage of development. Large, soft blocks are perfect for babies who are just starting to explore and play. They are easy to grasp and won’t pose a choking hazard.

Use different textures

Engage in sensory play by introducing different textures to your baby by using blocks made of different materials, such as wood, plastic, or fabric. This will help your baby to develop their tactile senses by stacking objects.

Create simple structures

Start by building simple structures such as towers or walls. This will help your baby to develop their spatial awareness and problem-solving skills.

Encourage exploration

Allow your baby to sit unassisted and explore the blocks on their own. This will help them to develop their creativity and imagination.

Sing songs and play games

Sing songs or play games while building with your baby. If you see your baby smiling, clap your hands and use different facial expressions. Make different consonant sounds and use the same toys for story time.

Teach colors and shapes

Introduce your baby to different shapes and colors by pointing them out and naming them as you play with the blocks. This will help develop your baby’s visual sense and cognitive skills.

Playing with building blocks and their favorite toys is a great way to bond with your baby and help them to develop important skills. With a little bit of creativity and imagination, you can make playtime with building blocks both fun and educational.

As your baby develops their sense of sight, visual perception and muscle sight coordination, your baby will be able to recognize facial features with these skills developed.

Games Using Different Home Items

Playing games with a 7-month-old baby can be a fun and engaging way to promote their cognitive and motor skills. The good news is that you don’t need fancy toys or expensive gadgets to entertain your little one. Everyday objects such as cardboard boxes can be used to create simple and stimulating games that your baby will love to play. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Play a fun game of peekaboo using a cardboard box. Cut a hole in the side of a cardboard box big enough for your baby’s face to fit through. Sit your baby in front of the box and pop your face in and out of the hole, saying “peek-a-boo” each time. Your baby will develop their sound source interpretation skills.
• Fill a cardboard box with different materials such as crinkly paper, soft fabric, or textured balls. Let your baby roll the items with their hands, being sure to supervise closely to ensure they don’t put anything dangerous in their mouth.
• Cut holes in the top of a cardboard box and give your baby their favorite toy or other objects to drop through the holes. This game will help them develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. It also makes different sounds which is good for developing a baby’s listening skills.
• Create a tunnel by connecting several cardboard boxes together. Place your baby at one end and encourage them to crawl through to the other side. This game will help them develop their gross motor skills and spatial awareness.
• Stack cardboard boxes of different sizes and shapes and encourage your baby to knock them down. This game will help them develop their hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.

Remember, the most important thing when playing with your baby is to have fun and enjoy the time together. With a little creativity and some simple materials, you can provide your baby with hours of engaging and stimulating playtime.