9 Fun Activities for 10-Month-Old Babies

They’re crawling circles around you, and they’re curious about every little thing they see.

Playing with your 10-month-old baby has never been so fun!

They’re copying sounds, showing signs of understanding, and there’s no stopping their point-game.

So if you’re struggling to come up with new ideas for 10-month-old baby games, you’re not alone.

Better yet, we’ve got nine suggestions for fun activities for 10-month-old babies right here.

Many of them are easy to do at home, with the help of a few household objects, while others only involve you, your baby, and a little energy. ⚡️

And if energy is in short supply (you’ve got a baby at home after all), we’ve also got some quieter learning activities for 10-month-olds.

Bring on the picture books and sticky notes (we’ll explain later).

In this article: 📝

What should a 10 month old baby be doing?

Before we dive into the fun, let’s look at some of the developmental milestones your little one may be reaching this month.

It’s also worth noting that each baby develops at their own pace – that’s what makes them so special and unique. 🦄

From fine-motor skills to expanding signs of communication, these are some of the things your 10-month-old might be doing around now:

• Crawling with confidence ✨
  
• Cruising (walking while holding onto furniture)
  
• Sitting up without support
  
• Grabbing objects with more precision
  
• Placing toys in boxes (working that hand-eye coordination)
  
• Feeding themselves finger foods
  
• Mimicking you more and more
  
• Getting curious about how things work (like the zipper on your jacket)

What are cognitive milestones for 10 month old?

So baby is moving and shaking, but what’s happening upstairs?

Quite a lot it turns out.

Your baby may not be the most articulate (though their babbling is coming on strong), but their brain is developing fast. 🧠

Some 10-month-old cognitive and emotional milestones include:

• Copying sounds and gestures like laughing, eating, or brushing your hair
  
• Watching an object as it falls 👀
  
• Moving objects from one hand to another 🤹🏼‍♀️
  
• Noticing when you leave (sometimes even separation anxiety) 🕵️‍♀️
  
• Awareness of new people (and some uncertainty)
  
• Developing their pincer grasp (picking food up between their thumb and index finger) 🍱
  
• Expressing and recognizing different facial expressions (emotional intelligence)
  
• Responding to positive reinforcement like clapping 👏

What social skills should a 10 month old have?

Cognitive ability brings tonnes of social promise to the table, thanks in large part to your baby’s increasing recognition of emotions.

From here, you might see your little one maintaining eye contact when interacting with people, raising their hands to be picked up, or responding to their own name.

This is prime time to start playing games like peek-a-boo, since baby is hellbent on interacting as much as possible.

Just maybe don’t hide for too long (the 10-month mark is also prime separation anxiety time).

What should a 10-month-old be saying?

With so much simmering under the surface, you can imagine your baby has so much to say beyond “babababaaaba”.

But many babies don’t actually start talking until they reach 12 months), so for now, your baby is probably happily experimenting with lots of different sounds.

And that includes stringing syllables together to make up their own words – the little creative genius. 🤓

But keep an ear out, you might be lucky enough to hear the first word around this time.

Candidates include mama, dada, ball, and bye.

What activities can I do with my 10-month-old?

Looking for games to help your baby’s physical or cognitive development, or just want to enjoy some time together?

How about all the above?

We’ve got nine fun activities for a 10 month old to help them master their emotional, physical, and social skills:

1. Peek-a-boo revisited

Peek-a-boo may be the classic baby game aimed at developing your baby’s sense of object permanence (knowing something still exists when you can’t see it).

By 10 months old your baby might have outgrown the traditional blanket-over-mama’s-head version of peek-a-boo, but you can still adapt it to make it more challenging.

Trying hiding one of their favorite toys under a blanket and encouraging them to look for it: “Where’s Ms. Bear?”.

You can always start with part of the toy sticking out from under the blanket and work up to fully concealing it.

2. Making music

Singing simple songs and nursery rhymes with your 10-month-old can be lots of fun for both of you.

Encourage your baby to join in, whether through making sounds or moving their body along to the music.

You can also clap or thump the floor, do some actions, or even use instruments (anything from a baby xylophone toy to an upturned pot and wooden spoon).

This activity is great for your baby’s sensory awareness and language development.

And adding in actions or instruments can help them with their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

3. In and out of the box

Activities for 10-month-old babies don’t have to be complicated: this is a super simple one.

Grab a box that your baby can easily reach into and a selection of baby-safe household items.

Examples: balled-up socks, teddy bear, kitchen spatula, baseball cap.

Show your baby how to place the objects inside the box and take them out again.

Let them practice doing this for themselves, as well as exploring the feel of the items. And that’s it!

Really straightforward, but babies can find this activity truly absorbing.

4. Physical play

If you’ve got some spare energy, why not enjoy some boisterous playtime with your baby?

Lifting them, spinning them around, and turning them upside down – anything that leaves them giggling and shrieking happily.

You’ll both be ready for a nap afterward!

5. Reading together

Reading aloud to your baby regularly is excellent for their language development, as well as providing some quiet bonding time for you both.

At 10 months old, your baby will still be enjoying colorful board books with simple stories.

They might also like to pull any flaps and help you turn the pages.

You can even get the jump on scaling their emotional intelligence withpicture books that teach kids how to manage their emotions or children’s books about diversity.

6. Copycat

Your baby’s powers of mimicry are increasing, and this is important for their developing social skills.

You can help them along by playing “copycat”.

Simply sit opposite your baby and show them how to do different gestures and facial expressions.

For example, you could stick out your tongue, flap your arms like a bird, smile broadly, or scrunch up your face in a frown.

Do each action a few times and see if your baby copies you - make sure you give them lots of praise when they do!

7. Baby artist

Yep, it’s time to find out if you have a mini Michelangelo or infant Frida Kahlo on your hands.

Spread out a big sheet of paper on the floor and give your little one a colorful baby-safe crayon.

Show them how they can make a line by pressing the crayon against the paper. Then just let them have fun scribbling.

They probably won’t create recognizable shapes or pictures at this stage, but your baby will really enjoy the bright colors.

It’s best to supervise them, so the crayon doesn’t end up in their mouth (and your walls don’t end up redecorated).

8. Sticky notes

How to entertain a 10-month-old? With spare stationery, of course!

Get some sticky notes in different shapes and colors, and stick a few of them to your kitchen floor or a door (any surface that won’t be easily damaged).

Then show your baby how to pull them off.

While it’s a simple game, it’s another useful activity for developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

To make it last longer, you can keep sticking the notes back down when they’re not looking. Sneaky…

9. Fun with cardboard boxes

Really, we could have replaced this list with: “Get a cardboard box (possibly several in different sizes).”

Babies love a cardboard box.

Give them one to play with, and you might find they: get inside it, climb on it, kick it, roll it, put toys in it, wear it as a hat… Hours of fun.

All of these are great indoor activities for 10-month-old babies – perfect for those rainy days or when you have other tasks to be getting on with.

But if you have access to outdoor space (your backyard, a local park, the beach), taking your baby out to explore can be so enjoyable too.

It’s an ideal way to satisfy their growing curiosity about the world.

Whether at home or in the great outdoors, we wish you and your 10-month-old baby a happy playtime.

And hey, if you’re really stuck, just ask the Peanut community!

👶 Read next: 10 Fun Activities for 11-Month-Old Babies