Your 10-12-month-old’s activity planner
You may have noticed your baby is moving more and more every day—it may sometimes feel like he’s in constant motion! That’s great, as all this activity is helping to make his muscles strong for crawling and learning to walk.
At 10-12 months, playing remains an important part of your baby’s development. It’s fun for you both and is a great way of spending time together, creating special memories along the way. Also, it’s recommended that toddlers between the ages of one and two years old are active for at least 60-180 minutes over the course of a day, and shouldn’t be sitting still for more than an hour at a time (apart from when sleeping). So now’s the time to get your little one into the habit of being active!
Even though your baby may now think it’s much more fun to play than sleep, try to keep the morning and afternoon naps going. At this age, your baby is very busy, so he still needs adequate sleep to balance the activity and make sure he’s got plenty of energy.
Encouraging your baby to be active when he’s young helps set up healthy habits that may last a lifetime. Now that your baby is getting more mobile, building up his strength, and becoming capable of more complex movements, why not try out these five activity ideas?
1. What? Push and pull
How? Give your baby a ball or a toy on wheels so he can practice pushing and pulling it along the floor. For babies who are already cruising or walking, push toys, or ‘walkers’ that allow your baby to walk with support, are great.
Why? Pushing toys along the floor will help strengthen your baby’s arm muscles and encourage him to use both hands in a coordinated way. He will also be able to practice either walking, cruising, or crawling to get the toy back when it’s out of reach.
2. What? Shake it all about
How? Sing action songs and rhymes to your baby and perform the moves together. Support your baby by holding his hands so he can move to the words and music. Songs like ‘The hokey pokey’, ‘Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,’ and, ‘Row, row your boat’ are classics.
Why? Moving to music can help develop your baby’s physical coordination, imitation skills, and rhythm.
3. What? Let’s shoot hoops!
How? Your baby doesn’t need to be walking to start developing his budding basketball skills. Put or hold a basket, tub, or box on the floor a short distance way. Place a ball in front of him and encourage him to pick it up and throw it towards the basket.
Why? Ball games are great for eye/hand coordination and developing motor skills. They also teach him that being active is fun and gives a sense of achievement.
4. What? Little scooter
How? While your baby is practicing his crawling on all fours, face him and start to back away, without ever going out of his sight. Keep him reassured by talking to him and encouraging him to crawl towards you.
Why? As your baby will be keen to catch up with you (and get a cuddle!), backing away, and encouraging him to come to you, can help boost his crawling speed and confidence. This helps him build up the muscle strength he’ll need for cruising and learning to walk.
5. What? Walk the walk
How? Hold your baby’s hands, or one hand if he is confident enough, and encourage him to walk around. Make it more fun and challenging by adding obstacles, such as cushions, for him to walk over, and items, such as side tables, for him to walk around.
Why? Your baby may now have the strength to stand alone, cruise around, and maybe even take his first steps. This game will help him practice those skills and give him the confidence to try and take his first steps on his own.
Safety checklist
Your baby loves to be on the move now. In the blink of an eye he has crawled across the room. He may even be pulling himself up to standing and starting to cruise along the furniture. After all that activity make sure your baby stays hydrated by offering him a drink of water during and after playtime. Also be sure to provide safe, supervised play for your baby.
Choose an area of the floor to dedicate to your baby’s play. Make it a safe play space by:
- Removing anything that could hurt your baby
- Checking for, and removing, any choking hazards
- Locking cabinets and doors
- Covering electrical outlets
- Installing safety gates
- Keeping any walkers or push-and-pull toys away from stairs and steps
Sources
Shelov SP & Altmann TR (Eds.). (2009). American Academy of Pediatrics. The complete and authoritative guide Caring for your baby and young child birth to age 5 (5th ed.). USA: Bantam Books.
https://pathways.org/growth-development/baby/milestones/ (Accessed April 11 2018)
https://pathways.org/growth-development/baby/games/ (Accessed April 11 2018)
Last revised: March, 2018
Related articles
Snack ideas for kids | Ready for baby finger foods?
The food you give your kids will help them grow in so many ways beyond the physical. It will expose them to new smells and textures.
3 mins to read
Ready, steady… walk
By now your little one is likely to have started to get the hang of crawling, and is probably well on their way to cruising.
2 mins to read
10 month baby development | Months 10-12
“Come on, make Mama (or Papa, of course) proud.” It’s likely already crossed your baby’s mind without you even saying it, since his desire to please you is strengthening along with
5 mins to read
Healthy baby development | Make every bite count
Starting your little one on solid foods is quite a milestone!
3 mins to read
3 tips for your baby’s happy, healthy tummy
By Dr. Ted Jablonski, family physician
3 mins to read
When to start solid food for babies
Starting solid foods is a new and exciting step in your baby’s eating development, but it often comes with many questions.
7 mins to read
Adventures in feeding: new tastes, new textures, new techniques
Now that your baby is eight to 10 months old, has enjoyed their first tastes, and is becoming more experienced at eating, it’s time to move on to lumpy foods and helping them learn to feed themself
6 mins to read
Baby Teething: Signs and Relief
Teething begins at different times for different babies, although most have already started by six months of age.
2 mins to read
Did you know?
During babies’ first year of life their nutritional needs are higher than those of adults
1 min to read
Your 8-10-month-old’s activity planner
The time you spend playing with your baby is precious, and enjoying games together is fun for both of you. But playtime is much more than just special moments spent together.
4 mins to read
How to strengthen your baby's immune system
By Dr. Ted Jablonski, family physician
3 mins to read
Newborn Sleep Development - What you need to know
You’re half-awake at 4 am with a wide-awake baby in your arms and wondering if you’ll ever get a full night’s sleep again. Don’t worry, you will.
6 mins to read
Becoming an independent eater
Now that your 10-12-month-old is really getting the hang of feeding themself, keep offering them a wide variety of foods and textures to establish good, healthy eating habi
4 mins to read
Feeding Tips for Older Babies
Your baby is now used to eating solids and may be grabbing at the spoon or picking up food by herself. This means she is ready for more self-feeding, a whole new messy adventure!
6 mins to read
Changing food and nutrition for your 8-to-12- month old
Take this quiz and test your nutrition knowledge!
1 min to read
Playing is learning
Did you know? Imaginary play and ‘talking time’ are essential to your baby’s healthy development.
2 mins to read
The ins and outs of babies’ digestive system
By Dr. Jeff Habert, family physician
3 mins to read
Physical Activities for Infants – What you need to know
Did you know? Spending time playing with your baby at this age can lead to them being more active when they are a toddler.
3 mins to read
Sharing meals teaches healthy eating
Did you know? Studies show that the more often families share mealtimes, the more likely children are to have healthy diets and stay at healthy weights as toddlers.
2 mins to read
