Offering your baby soft blocks is great for strengthening their little hands. From around six months, soft blocks are satisfying and safe for your baby to pick up, squeeze and drop. From around nine months, your child will enjoy bashing two wooden blocks together. They'll find the noise really satisfying, and it shows their coordination is coming on leaps and bounds!

Classic cup play

As your baby heads towards their first birthday, they will enjoy nesting and stacking games. Show your baby how to stack up and knock over a set of simple coloured cups. Try plastic cups in the bath too - your baby can enjoy filling, pouring and experimenting with water. ...

Getting on the move

Talk to your baby about the colours and shapes of blocks as you play together: it's a great start for early learning. You can keep your inquisitive baby active by spreading shapes from a sorter around the carpet and encouraging your baby to reach or crawl to 'fetch' the pieces before you help slot in the shapes.

This play idea is great for...
	Stimulates senses Music boosts your baby's listening skills, and introduces them to intriguing and pleasurable sounds that stimulate their curious young mind.
	Fine motor skills Picking up, shaking and squeezing toys to produce sounds helps your baby develop strength and coordination in their little hands.
	Thinking skills Some research has indicated that playing and listening to music can help children learn later on. Encouraging your baby to enjoy music is a great start to a life of learning.