Around 5 months, your baby is likely working on a range of gross motor, cognitive, and social-emotional skills. Help them practice and expand their abilities with these simple games and activities.

You say ‘goodbye’ and I say ‘hello’ 

Around 5-6 months, your baby may begin to show signs of separation anxiety. This is a sign of cognitive and emotional growth. They now understand that you’re a separate person (whom they adore ).

Help them cope with their new emotions by practicing “hello” and “goodbye.”

1. Tape the Magic Tissues or other fabric pieces to the top of a few pages of the ‘Parts of Me’ Book or another book of faces to create flaps over the photos.
2. Raise the tissue to reveal the baby’s face as you say “hello!”
3. Then drop the tissue over the photo and say “goodbye.”

Practicing these greetings one after the next—”hello,” then “goodbye,” and then “hello” again—helps them understand that goodbye isn’t forever.

Build social skills with a simple kicking game

Back-and-forth play lays a foundation for important social skills. This game helps your baby build their core strength and is especially fun with rattle socks.

1. Lay your baby on their back.
2. Smile, make eye contact, and say, “kick, kick, kick” as you help them kick their feet.
3. Pause and watch your baby’s cues: they may make eye contact, kick their feet, or make sounds to express their desire to continue.
4. Encourage them by responding with more play. Continue the back-and-forth as long as your child remains interested.

Your baby is learning about communication and taking turns. When you respond to their cues, it reinforces that what they’re saying matters 

Go on an outdoor scent tour 

Now that your baby is awake for longer stretches, they have more time to spend outside taking in the lessons of the natural world 

One way you can expand your child’s knowledge of the outdoors is by taking them on a scent tour:

1. Use your eyes and nose to seek out items to sniff.
2. When you find one, bring your baby close to it and demonstrate how to take a whiff.
3. Encourage them to follow your lead.
4. Describe the scent and name its source.

Flowers, pine needles, and fresh-cut grass all give off fragrances that stimulate the senses, producing neural connections that create a strong foundation for learning. 

Even better, research shows that these pleasant natural aromas can significantly reduce stress levels, even more than the sounds of nature. Unlike other senses, scent signals go directly to the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that controls stress responses.

Play with real-life tools

Take advantage of your 5-month-old’s fascination with all that you do and introduce them to some baby-safe kitchen tools 

Exploring safe everyday objects can help build their finger strength and dexterity, advance their hand-eye coordination, and familiarize them with practical tools they’ll use later in life.

1. Gather a bowl, whisk, spatula, and measuring spoons.
2. Place them within {firstName}’s reach during tummy time or while they’re in a seated position.
3. Let your baby explore the tools.
4. Sit with your child and talk about the different implements as you demonstrate how they’re used.

Please be sure to supervise your baby at all times during this activity and put the tools safely away when play is done.