Parents whose children are around 8-10 months old are usually keen to know about the activities that can be started for the babies, especially when it comes to learning.
What do you teach a 9 month old baby? At nine months, most of these babies are slowly but steadily beginning to understand the concept of objects around them. Hence, the best thing would be to begin activities that further enhance the baby’s cognition capability.
Babies are sponges for learning, and at this age, even though they cannot grasp complicated activities, there are certain things you can teach them and certain things you can do with them that help develop their motor skills and cognitive abilities. Here are some things you can teach your kid.
Teach Them to Walk in the Morning and Evening
If possible, take them for a walk in the fresh air daily. This will help them develop their muscles and balance. If you live in a cold climate, try getting them dressed warmly and taking them to the park for an hour of playtime in the snow. They will love it.
Swimming
Take them swimming every week. Swimming is an excellent way for babies to exercise their muscles and learn how to use their arms and legs properly while having fun splashing around in the water.
They may not be able to swim on their own, but they can have fun splashing around while you hold them up or float them in the water.
Name Body Parts
A 9-month-old baby can have fun by learning to identify different body parts. Try this simple game.
Show your baby an image of a face in a mirror, and ask him to point to the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. Then hold up one finger on each hand and see whether he can identify which one is his.
Identify Colors
You can introduce your 9-month-old baby to colors using a toy train. Red, blue and yellow work well.
Point out how each color appears on the train, then count how many there are per row (3 red and two blue). This helps develop his understanding of numbers as well as color recognition skills.
Sing Songs
Singing songs is suitable for your baby’s brain development. It helps her learn how to make sounds and follow along with rhymes and rhythms.
You don’t have to be perfect; singing with a child is better than singing alone because the two of you can have fun making silly noises together.
Encourage Pretend Play
Pretend play helps children develop thinking skills. You can give them toys such as play food or dolls that they can use for pretend meals or play dates with their stuffed animals or sisters and brothers.
Encourage them by asking questions like “How does the ice cream melt?” or “Where should we put this?”
Read Together and Get Familiar with their Name
Reading together is another great way to help your baby learn new words while bonding with her parents, at the same time.
Choose books that fit your child’s interests (like vehicles). Your baby will be so excited when they learn their name. Say it repeatedly while you’re talking with them, or point out your name on signs or in books.
Touch Everything
Babies love to explore everything that’s around them with their hands. Let them touch everything in sight, but remember that some items might be dangerous if they put them in their mouth or get hurt by falling on top of something sharp or heavy.
How to Drink From a Cup
You may be able to give him a bottle if he still takes one, but it’s time for him to learn how to drink from a cup. He’ll need lots of practice with this skill.
You may want to place the cup in his hand or help him hold it with his fingers around its base. Encourage him to put his lips around the rim and gently tilt the cup toward his mouth as you pour some liquid into it.
When he gets the idea, you can let go of the cup and let him take over completely by holding it in both hands while he drinks from it on his own.
Discovering the World Through Books
Reading to your baby is one of the best ways to help her learn language skills, so make sure that reading is part of your daily routine. If she’s not ready for books, try playing with blocks or stacking toys instead.
Please make sure any words or pictures on the book are large enough for her to see clearly, without straining her eyesight. It’s also a good idea to keep books out of reach until she can sit up unassisted or crawl over to them, otherwise, she could pull them off shelves and put them in her mouth!
Teach a 9-Month-Old Baby to Say “No”
Once your child speaks, they’ll start telling you what they want. When this happens, praise them for using words instead of crying or pointing.
If you want your child to stop doing something, such as touching a hot surface or running out into the street, use an “I don’t like it when…” statement instead of saying “No!”
This way, your child will learn that there’s always another way to get what they want other than acting out aggressively.
Conclusion
It is possible to teach a 9-month-old baby plenty of things. All you need is to be persistent and confident, know what you’re doing and keep the sessions fun. Parents should think about starting to teach the baby near that age. All the activities for the 9-month-old babies listed above will be suitable for their development and help them grow into well-rounded children.
FAQS
What can a 9-month-old baby say? Your baby can say many different words, even though she may not be using them correctly yet. For example, she might say “doggie” when she sees a dog.
How much sleep does a nine-month-old need? Your child will wake up more often during the night as they enter this age group because they are developing more complex sleep patterns.