Play and Learn Family Activities
Select another age
Birth - 3 Month Activities (close)
3 - 6 Month Activities (close)
6 - 9 Month Activities (close)
9 - 12 Month Activities (close)
12 - 18 Month Activities (close)
- Spaghetti Worms
- Fingers, Toes, Hair, Nose
- Sticky Toys
- Spongy Shapes
- Bells Are Ringing
- Baby-Okey
- Finger Friends
- Catch the Firefly
- Tunnel Crawl
- Whoopsy-Daisy!
- Paper Play
- Listen Up!
- Body Art
- Baby's House
- Jolly Juggler
- Box-in-a-Box
- Pop Goes the Bubble
- Strike up the Band
- Sock Ball
- Wiggly Gelatin Worms
- Tube Talk
18 - 24 Month Activities (close)
- Bells Are Ringing
- Sticker Fun
- Same or Different?
- Touch It!
- Frozen Fun
- Dancing Baby
- Red Light, Green Light
- Muffin Mix
- Paper Play
- Listen Up!
- Body Art
- Baby's House
- Jolly Juggler
- Box-in-a-Box
- Pop Goes the Bubble
- Baby Basketball
- Animal Walk
- Cookie Cook
- Buried Treasure
- Strike up the Band
- Sock Ball
- Wiggly Gelatin Worms
- Tube Talk
2 - 2½ Year Activities (close)
- Sticker Fun
- Same or Different?
- Dance 'til You Drop
- Touch It!
- Frozen Fun
- Dancing Baby
- Red Light, Green Light
- Muffin Mix
- Dress-Up Parade
- Sticker Magic
- Scribble Scrabble
- Toddler Bowling
- Storyteller
- Glad, Sad, and Mad
- Flannel Tale
- Hide the Music
- Go Together
- Baby Basketball
- Animal Walk
- Cookie Cook
- Buried Treasure
- What's Wrong?
- Wash 'em Up
2½ - 3 Year Activities (close)
- Dance 'til You Drop
- Dress-Up Parade
- Sticker Magic
- Scribble Scrabble
- Toddler Bowling
- Storyteller
- Glad, Sad, and Mad
- Flannel Tale
- Hide the Music
- Go Together
- Copycat
- Know the Noise
- Sticker Search
- Silly Stories
- Tightrope Walk
- Storybook Theater
- Picture Pairs
- Mix It Up
- Shell Game
- Sand and Water
- What's Wrong?
- Wash 'em Up
- What Happened?
3 - 4 Year Activities (close)
- Phonics Fun
- Great Little Letter Games
- It's Natural
- ABCs around the house
- Activities for Visual Learners
- Activities for Tactile Learners
- Activities for Auditory Learners
- Squish It!
- Sticker Fun
- Guess-and Guess Again!
- Grow It!
- Print Away!
- Recycle Art
- Listen and Tell
- Storytime Twists
- Build It
- I Can Do It!
- All-about-Me Book
- Copycat
- Mighty Megaphone
- Know the Noise
- Sticker Search
- Silly Stories
- Tightrope Walk
- Storybook Theater
- Picture Pairs
- Mix It Up
- Shell Game
- Sand and Water
- Guess the End
- Go Together?
- Scarf Dancing
- Make a Book
- Box Car
- Animal Parts
- Skip, Hop, and Jump
- What Happened?
- Touch and Tell
- What's Missing?
4 - 5 Year Activities (close)
- Shape Shift
- Picture Story
- Bug Hunt
- Take-a-Turn Picture
- Bake a Crazy Cake
- Build a home
- Mystery Box
- Chalk Characters
- Obstacle Course
- Teddy Bear Picnic
- Someone Special
- Toy Tale
- Phonics Fun
- Great Little Letter Games
- It's Natural
- ABCs around the house
- Activities for Visual Learners
- Activities for Tactile Learners
- Activities for Auditory Learners
- Squish It!
- Sticker Fun
- Guess-and Guess Again!
- Grow It!
- Print Away!
- Recycle Art
- Listen and Tell
- Storytime Twists
- Build It
- I Can Do It!
- All-about-Me Book
- Mighty Megaphone
- Guess the End
- Go Together?
- Scarf Dancing
- Make a Book
- Box Car
- Animal Parts
- Skip, Hop, and Jump
- Touch and Tell
- What's Missing?
5 - 6 Year Activities (close)
- Make a Chain
- Feely Bags
- Treasure Map
- Storybook Theater
- Secret Picture
- Draw to Music
- Walk on the Wild Side
- Shape Shift
- Picture Story
- Bug Hunt
- Take-a-Turn Picture
- Bake a Crazy Cake
- Build a home
- Mystery Box
- Chalk Characters
- Obstacle Course
- Greeting Cards
- All in a Row
- Magic Picture
- If I Were
- Teddy Bear Picnic
- Someone Special
- Add a Move
- Toy Tale
- Phonics Fun
- Great Little Letter Games
- It's Natural
- ABCs around the house
- Activities for Visual Learners
- Activities for Tactile Learners
- Activities for Auditory Learners
- Squish It!
- Sticker Fun
- Guess-and Guess Again!
- Grow It!
- Print Away!
- Recycle Art
- Listen and Tell
- Storytime Twists
- Build It
Learning Skills
- Anticipation and surprise
- Grasping
- Head and neck control
- Social interaction
Upsy-Daisy
Your baby will soon lose two reflexes she had at birth—the grasp reflex and the baby-doll reflex (she opens her eyes when she sits up)—as she gains more control over her movements. While she still has them, play Upsy-Daisy to take advantage of these reflexes!
Materials
- Soft, unslippery surface
- Your hands
Instructions
- Lay your baby on a soft, unslippery surface, such as a carpet.
- Sit at her feet, facing her.
- Place your thumbs in your baby's palms and let her grasp them. As she does, wrap your fingers around the backs of her hands.
- Slowly pull your baby to a sitting position and say, "Upsy-Daisy" as you go.
- After your baby's had a moment to see your happy face and enjoy the game, lay her back down and play again.
Safety
Be sure to hold on to your baby's hands in case she lets go of her grasp. Move slowly so your baby doesn't get a neck injury.
* Play and Learn activities reprinted from “Baby Play and Learn” with permission of its author, Penny Warner, and its publisher, Meadowbrook Press (1999).
