50+ Simple and Fun Activities for Babies

Looking for fun, easy, and engaging ways to play with your baby? You’re in the right place! Babies learn through play, and simple activities can help them develop essential skills—without needing fancy toys or complicated setups. Whether your little one is working on tummy time, exploring textures, or just starting to grasp and grab, these 50+ baby activities are perfect for keeping them entertained while supporting their development.

Why You’ll Love These Baby Activities

• Super simple setups – No complicated instructions, just easy play ideas using things you already have at home.
• Perfect for different stages – Whether your baby is a newborn, sitting up, or starting to crawl, there’s something for every stage.
• Supports development – These activities encourage fine and gross motor skills, sensory exploration, and early cognitive skills—all while having fun.

Playing with Your Baby

Playing with your baby may not feel the same as playing with a toddler or older child but babies are eager to explore and interact with their world around them. At this age they are often more interested in regular everyday objects than toys so let them explore them! They love moving objects or kicking them to see what sound they make so activities as simple as kicking tissue paper are wonderful at this age.

This collection ideas are all super easy to set up. In fact I did many of them with my own children when they were infants, from balloon kicking, to Easter egg water play! All of these ideas use materials that are easy to access and help babies grow and develop.

Furthermore, playing with your baby is all about following their lead and letting them explore at their own pace. Babies interact with the world in their own unique ways, and they may not always engage with an activity the way you expect—and that’s perfectly okay!

Some babies might grab, shake, or mouth an object right away, while others may just observe for a while before reaching out. The key is to offer opportunities for play without pressure. If your baby isn’t interested in an activity, don’t force it—just try again later or offer a different option. Watching, touching, or simply being near sensory materials is still valuable engagement.

The best way to support your baby’s learning is to let them take the lead and enjoy the experience in their own way!

How to Use this List

I have organized the list according to age 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-15 months, however, many of the activities can be interchanged and older babies would definitely enjoy many of the ideas listed for younger babies.

Looking for more mess free sensory ideas? Check of this list of 45+ Sensory Bags for Babies & Toddlers

OK, so let’s get started!

Activities for 3-6 Month Old Babies

Balloon Kicking

Babies love kicking, and adding a balloon makes it even more fun! This activity encourages movement, coordination, and cause-and-effect learning.

Materials: 

• balloon
• ribbon

How to Set Up: 

Tie a balloon to your baby’s ankle or place it where they can kick it while lying down. Watch as they kick and giggle at the floating balloon reaction.

Mirror Play

Babies love looking at faces, and their own reflection is no exception! This simple activity encourages self-recognition and social-emotional development.

Materials: 

• Baby-safe mirror

How to Set Up: 

Place a baby-safe mirror in front of your baby during tummy time or while sitting, and watch as they smile, coo, and reach for their reflection.

Simple Grasping Play

This easy activity helps babies practice grasping and strengthens their tiny fingers. Different textures and shapes keep them engaged while boosting their fine motor skills.

Materials: 

• Soft fabric strips
• small rattles
• baby-safe rings, lightweight scarves.

How to Set Up: 

Place the objects around your baby’s play area and encourage them to reach, grab, and hold onto them. You can also dangle them from a baby gym.

Tissue Paper Kicking

Babies will love the crinkly sound and light movement of tissue paper as they kick and wiggle their legs. This activity encourages sensory exploration and strengthens leg muscles for future movement milestones.

Materials: 

• Large sheets of tissue paper
• crib or baby play mat
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Drape tissue paper over a pillow and position baby so their feet are kicking it. Or lay tissue paper under your baby’s legs during tummy time or while they lie on their back, and let them kick to hear the fun crinkly sounds.

Yarn Activity Gym

Soft and colorful yarn strands dangling from a play gym make this activity an instant hit for curious babies. It encourages reaching, grabbing, and sensory exploration in a safe and engaging way.

Materials: 

• Baby play gym
• yarn in different colors and textures

How to Set Up: 

Tie short yarn strands to the baby gym at different lengths. Let babies explore by reaching, batting, and grasping the soft yarn.

Easter Eggs and Water Play

Floating plastic eggs and water make for a simple, exciting sensory experience. Babies will love scooping, splashing, and grabbing the eggs while exploring cause and effect.

Materials: 

• Plastic Easter eggs
• shallow bin of water

How to Set Up: 

Place Easter eggs and a small amount of water in a shallow fishing. Place your baby on a pillow in front of the dish and allow them to touch the water with their fingers trying to move the colourful Easter eggs.

RELATED… 18+ Easy Sensory Bins for Babies

Bottle Sensory Bin

The Bottle Sensory Bin provides babies with a fun way to explore sounds, colors, and textures by shaking and observing sensory bottles. It’s perfect for developing visual tracking and auditory skills.

Materials: 

• Empty plastic bottles
• water
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Place baby bottles in a shallow bin and let baby explore. Or fill each bottle with different sensory materials, seal the lids securely, and place them in a shallow bin for babies to shake, roll, and explore.

Baby Letter Grab

The Baby Letter Grab activity introduces babies to letters through tactile exploration, promoting early literacy awareness.

Materials: 

• Magnetic letters

How to Set Up: 

Place letters on fridge and encourage babies to grab, hold, and explore the shapes while naming each letter.

Soft Surface Kicking

Letting babies kick against a soft, textured surface provides a fun way to explore movement and build leg strength. It also gives them a sense of cause and effect as they feel the resistance.

Materials: 

• Soft pillow or small rug
• stuffed animal
• rolled-up blanket

How to Set Up: 

Place a soft object near your baby’s feet while they lie on their back, and encourage them to kick and push against it.

Onesie Stuffy

This silly activity turns your baby’s favorite stuffed animal into a cuddly, dressed-up friend. It helps with grasping and curiosity as babies explore different textures.

Materials: 

• Baby onesie
• stuffed animal

How to Set Up: 

Secure a small stuffed animal into a baby onesie and let your baby touch, squeeze, and play with their stuffed friend right in front of them.

Stuffed Animals Bin

A bin full of soft, cuddly animals encourages babies to explore different textures, shapes, and colors. This activity promotes sensory play and early imaginative play.

Materials: 

• Soft stuffed animals
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Fill a shallow bin with stuffed animals and let your baby reach, grab, and cuddle with them.

Black and White Pictures

High-contrast images captivate babies’ developing vision, making this a great activity for newborns. This simple visual play strengthens focus and eye coordination.

Materials: 

• Black and white picture cards or printed high-contrast images

How to Set Up: 

Prop up black-and-white images near your baby during tummy time or place them in their line of sight for visual engagement.

Soft Block Play

Stacking, knocking over, and squishing soft blocks makes for a fun and safe way for babies to explore cause and effect. This activity builds fine motor skills and encourages early problem-solving.

Materials: 

• Soft foam or fabric blocks

How to Set Up: 

Place a few blocks in front of your baby and let them explore by grabbing, stacking, and knocking them over.

Colorful Ball Basket

A basket filled with soft, colorful balls is a simple and engaging way for babies to practice grasping, rolling, and exploring different textures. This activity helps develop hand-eye coordination and early motor skills.

Materials: 

• Soft baby-safe balls in different colors
• shallow basket

How to Set Up: 

Fill a basket with colorful balls and encourage your baby to reach in, grab, toss, and roll them around.

Scarf Play

Bright, flowing scarves make for an engaging sensory experience as babies watch them float, grab, and pull them through their little fingers. This activity helps with visual tracking and fine motor development.

Materials: 

• Lightweight scarves or fabric scraps

How to Set Up: 

Gently wave scarves in front of your baby, toss them in the air, or let your baby pull them out of an empty tissue box for extra fun.

Activities for 6-9 Month Old Babies

Baby Water Play

Baby Water Play allows babies to explore splashing, pouring, and feeling water, supporting sensory development and motor skills.

Materials: 

• Shallow bin
• warm water
• cups
• plastic spoons
• waterproof toys.

How to Set Up: 

Fill a shallow bin with warm water and add safe toys and utensils. Let your baby splash and pour under close supervision.

Yarn Sensory Bin

A bin filled with soft, colorful yarn strands provides a gentle sensory experience for babies to explore different textures and colors. This activity encourages grasping, pulling, and tactile exploration.

Materials: 

• Various colors and textures of yarn
• shallow bin.

How to Set Up: 

Place balls of yarn in a bin for your baby to grab, squish, and explore.

Highchair Tape Peel

Peeling tape off a highchair tray may seem simple, but it’s a great way for babies to strengthen their fingers and improve hand-eye coordination. Plus, it keeps them entertained while you prep a meal!

Materials: 

• Painter’s tape
• Balls
• highchair tray

How to Set Up: 

Use painter’s tape to tape down balls of baby safe toys in different directions on the highchair tray. Encourage babies to peel and pull the tape off for a fun and engaging challenge.

Color Bin

A simple way to introduce color recognition, this bin is filled with objects of a single color for babies to explore and compare. It helps babies visually sort and engage with different shades.

Materials: 

• Small baby-safe toys
• fabric scraps
• household items all in one color
• shallow bin.

How to Set Up: 

Choose a color theme (e.g., purple) and fill a bin with objects of that color. Let your baby touch, grasp, and explore each item.

Foil Bowls

Babies will love the shiny, crinkly texture of foil-covered bowls as they tap, grab, and explore the sounds they make. This simple sensory activity engages their sense of touch, sight, and hearing.

Materials: 

• Large plastic or metal bowls
• aluminum foil

How to Set Up: 

Cover the outside of large bowls with aluminum foil, then place them in front of your baby to explore by touching, tapping, or even dropping lightweight objects inside to hear the sound.

Puzzle Grab Baby Sticky Wall

Puzzle Grab Sticky Wall encourages babies to practice pulling and placing puzzle pieces, supporting fine motor development and problem-solving skills.

Materials: 

• Contact paper (sticky side out)
• painter’s tape
• simple puzzle pieces

How to Set Up: 

Tape contact paper to a wall with the sticky side facing out. Stick puzzle pieces on it and let babies pull them off and try to place them back.

Simple Ball Play

Simple Ball Play boosts gross motor skills as babies crawl, roll, and reach for balls, supporting physical development.

Materials: 

• Soft sensory balls of various sizes

How to Set Up: 

Roll balls across a soft surface and encourage babies to chase and explore them. Use balls with different textures for extra sensory fun.

Baby Ring Grab Sticky Wall Activity

This Ring Grab Sticky Wall activity promotes fine motor skills as babies grasp and pull rings from a sticky surface.

Materials: 

• Plastic rings
• contact paper
• painter’s tape

How to Set Up: 

Tape contact paper to the wall with the sticky side out and attach plastic rings. Show babies how to pull them off and place them back.

Box Play

Box Play turns ordinary cardboard boxes into an exciting play space where babies can crawl, explore, and discover new textures.

Materials: 

• Large cardboard boxes

How to Set Up: 

Cut doorways and windows into the boxes. Let babies crawl through, open flaps, and explore the space inside.

Treasure Baskets

Treasure Baskets provide babies with safe, everyday objects to explore, encouraging curiosity and sensory development.

Materials: 

• Basket
• baby-safe household items (wooden spoons, soft brushes, fabric scraps)

How to Set Up: 

Fill a shallow basket with various textured objects. Sit with your baby as they explore, naming each item and describing its texture.

Activities for 9-15 Month Old Babies

Muffin Tin Vegetable Sorting

This Muffin Tin Vegetable Sorting activity helps babies practice color recognition and fine motor skills by sorting soft vegetables into muffin cups. It’s a great introduction to healthy foods through play.

Materials: 

• Muffin tin
• play vegetables or real cooked veggies

How to Set Up: 

Place various vegetables in a bowl. Encourage your baby to pick and place them into muffin tin sections by color, shape, or type.

Green Pea Sensory Bag

The Green Pea Sensory Bag provides a mess-free sensory experience, allowing babies to squish and move peas for tactile exploration. It’s perfect for tummy time or high-chair play.

Materials: 

• Cooked or thawed green peas
• ziplock bag
• water
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Fill the ziplock bag with green peas, remove air, and seal. Tape it to a flat surface and let your baby squish and explore the texture.

Flip Top Peekaboo

Flip Top Peekaboo helps babies develop object permanence by opening and closing containers to find hidden surprises. It’s a simple yet engaging activity.

Materials: 

• Empty flip-top containers (like wipes lids)
• Tape
• Stickers

How to Set Up: 

Place toys inside the containers and close the lids. Show your baby how to flip the tops open and discover the hidden items.

Playdough Sensory

This Playdough Sensory activity lets babies squish, poke, and explore soft dough, developing fine motor skills and sensory processing.

Materials: 

• Taste-safe homemade playdough
• Ziplock bag (optional)

How to Set Up: 

Provide a small amount of playdough and show your baby how to press and roll it. Supervise closely during exploration. Find taste safe play recipe here.

Corn Sensory Bin

The Corn Sensory Bin is a fall-themed sensory experience where babies explore dried corn kernels for tactile development.

Materials: 

• Dried corn kernels
• scoops
• cups
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Fill a shallow bin with corn kernels and add scoops and cups. Supervise while your baby explores the texture and practices scooping.

Mushy Green Pea Sensory Bin

This Mushy Green Pea Sensory Bin offers a safe, squishy sensory experience perfect for babies learning about textures.

Materials: 

• Cooked green peas
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Place cooked peas in a bin and let your baby squish and explore them under supervision.

Rubber Duck Pond Sensory Bag

The Rubber Duck Pond Sensory Bag is a calming activity where babies watch and squish ducks in a “pond,” developing visual tracking.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• water
• blue food coloring
• small rubber ducks
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Fill the bag with water and coloring, add ducks, seal, and tape it down. Let babies squish and move the ducks around.

Cereal Sensory Bin

This edible sensory bin lets babies safely explore textures, sounds, and early scooping skills using baby-safe cereal. Plus, they can snack while they play!

Materials: 

• Baby-friendly dry cereal (like Cheerios or puffed rice)
• cups
• scoops
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Fill a shallow bin with dry cereal and let babies explore by grabbing, scooping, and crunching the pieces.

Oat Sensory Bin

Soft and easy to scoop, oats make a perfect mess-free sensory bin for babies to explore textures and practice grasping. This activity encourages sensory exploration and early fine motor development.

Materials: 

• Plain oats
• small scoops
• cups
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Pour oats into a shallow bin and provide scoops or small cups for your baby to grab, pour, and explore the texture.

Shape Sticky Wall

This interactive activity lets babies explore different shapes and textures while strengthening their fine motor skills. The sticky surface makes it easy for little hands to place and remove shapes over and over.

Materials: 

• Contact paper
• Shape sorting toys
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Tape a sheet of contact paper (sticky side out) to the wall or a low surface. Let your baby stick and remove the shapes freely.

Exploring Hot and Cold

Exploring Hot and Cold introduces babies to temperature differences in a safe and simple way.

Materials: 

• Warm washcloth
• cold pack or freezer

How to Set Up: 

Offer your baby the warm and cold items to touch under supervision, describing the sensations as they explore.

Bubbles Sensory Bag

Bubbles Sensory Bags provide visual and tactile fun as babies squish and watch bubbles form in a sealed bag.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• water
• dish soap
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Mix soap and water in the bag, seal tightly, and tape it down. Let babies squish to create bubbles.

Taste Safe Sensory Bin

The Taste-Safe Sensory Bin allows babies to explore textures safely using edible materials.

Materials: 

• Cooked pasta, cereal or rice
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Fill a bin with taste-safe items. Let babies explore by touching, squeezing, and tasting under supervision.

Two Ingredient Taste Safe Finger Paint

This Taste-Safe Finger Paint activity encourages creative exploration through safe and edible finger painting.

Materials: 

• Yogurt
• food coloring
• paper

How to Set Up: 

Mix food coloring with yogurt. Let babies paint freely, exploring textures and colors.

Puzzle Peek-a-Boo

Puzzle Peek-a-Boo encourages problem-solving by hiding objects under puzzle pieces for babies to discover.

Materials: 

• Simple puzzle
• Post-its

How to Set Up: 

Hide puzzle spaces with post-its and encourage babies to lift pieces to find them and fit the pieces in.

Seasonal Activities for Babies

Valentines Ball Drop

This fun and simple Valentine’s Ball Drop activity helps babies develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills by dropping soft balls into containers. It’s a great way to introduce color recognition and cause-and-effect play.

Materials: 

• Soft pink
• balls
• empty box or container with a hole
• Scissors
• markers to draw heart

How to Set Up: 

Cut a hole in the top of a tissue box or container. Show your baby how to drop the balls through the hole and retrieve them for repeated play.

Baby Valentines Sensory Bin

This Valentine’s-themed sensory bin lets babies explore soft, colorful textures safely, supporting sensory development. It’s a perfect way to introduce Valentine’s colors while engaging their sense of touch.

Materials: 

• Foam sheet hearts
• plastic measuring cups
• Water
• shallow bin.

How to Set Up: 

Fill the bin with soft materials in Valentine’s colors. Let your baby explore the textures, pull out items, and watch as you name colors and shapes.

Easter Egg Sensory Bin

Plastic eggs filled with different sensory surprises make this a fun, engaging activity for babies to shake, open, and explore. It helps develop fine motor skills and auditory awareness.

Materials: 

• Plastic Easter eggs
• shallow bin

How to Set Up: 

Place plastic Easter eggs in a bin, and let your baby shake, open, and explore them.

Mess Free Easter Egg Painting

This Mess-Free Easter Egg Painting activity allows babies to explore color mixing while creating festive Easter art.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• Easter eggs
• pastel paints
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Place paints inside the bag, seal, and tape it down. Let your baby use plastic Easter eggs to squish and blend the colors.

Mess Free Fall Painting

This Mess-Free Fall Painting activity lets babies explore colors and creativity without the mess, using autumn-themed paints. It’s great for sensory exploration and visual stimulation.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• fall-colored paints (orange, yellow, red)
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Draw fall shapes on a ziplock bag. Add paint drops inside the bag, seal, and tape it down. Let your baby squish and spread the paint around to create fall art.

Turkey Sensory Bag

A Turkey Sensory Bag offers mess-free sensory play where babies can squish and explore textures, perfect for tummy time or high-chair play. It’s great for developing visual tracking and tactile exploration.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• Taste safe playdough
• googly eyes
• small fabric feathers
• brown and orange paper for turkey parts
• tape.

How to Set Up: 

Add playdough, feathers, and turkey face pieces into the ziplock bag. Seal the bag and tape it to a table or window for your baby to squish and explore.

Turkey Sensory Bottle

This Turkey Sensory Bottle is a calm-down tool that promotes visual tracking as babies shake and watch items swirl. It’s a festive activity for Thanksgiving-themed play.

Materials: 

• Clear plastic bottle
• water
• glitter
• mini feathers
• small turkey stickers, glue gun (to seal lid)

How to Set Up: 

Fill the bottle with water, feathers, glitter, and turkey-themed decorations. Seal the lid with hot glue and let your baby shake and observe.

Mess Free Turkey Painting Bag

Let your baby explore painting without the mess! This squishy, colorful activity allows babies to mix fall colors while developing their sensory and motor skills.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• Black sharpie
• red, orange, and yellow paint
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Draw the turkey outline on a ziplock bag. Add paint inside the bag, seal it tightly, and tape it to a flat surface. Let babies squish and move the paint around to “color” the turkey.

Simple Christmas Sensory Bin

A Simple Christmas Sensory Bin lets babies explore festive textures while practicing grasping skills. It’s a fun introduction to holiday colors and sounds.

Materials: 

• plastic shatterproof ornaments
• water
• shallow bin.

How to Set Up: 

Fill a bin with baby-safe Christmas-themed items like shatterproof ornaments and small amount of water. Supervise as your baby explores, encouraging them to touch, grab, and shake items.

Jingle Bell Egg Shakers

These Jingle Bell Egg Shakers are perfect for babies to explore sound and rhythm. Shaking the eggs supports auditory development and motor skills.

Materials: 

• Plastic Easter eggs
• jingle bells
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Place a jingle bell inside each plastic egg and seal the edges with strong tape. Let babies shake and explore the sounds.

Mess Free Snowman Painting

Mess-Free Snowman Painting allows babies to explore color mixing and creative play without the cleanup. It’s ideal for high-chair play or tummy time.

Materials: 

• Ziplock bag
• white and blue washable paint
• tape

How to Set Up: 

Draw a snowman on the ziplock bag and paint inside a ziplock bag. Seal tightly and tape the bag to a flat surface. Let babies squish the paint around to “decorate” the snowman.

Snowflake Drop

The Snowflake Drop activity supports fine motor development as babies grasp and drop soft snowflakes. It’s a simple and engaging winter-themed activity.

Materials:

• Jar lids
• Blue marker
• empty tissue box or container with a slit.

How to Set Up: 

Cut a slit in the top of the container. Show your baby how to drop lids with the snowflakes drawn on them through the slot and retrieve them for repeated play.

Looking for more fun and easy things to do at home with your baby? Check out these fabulous resources:

• 27 Easy Things To Do At Home With Your 12 Month Old
• 18+ Easy Sensory Bins for Babies
• 45+ Sensory Bags for Babies & Toddlers