What Montessori Activities to Do with 9 - 12 Months Old Baby
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Your child now understands the concept of object permanence (things/people exist even when they are out of sight). Separation anxiety is common during this stage. Your baby knows that you’re somewhere when she cannot see you, and she might feel anxious to find you. If your baby is experiencing separation anxiety, keep reassuring her of your presence. It can last several weeks for the separation anxiety to pass.
This stage is full of rapid development for your child. The most obvious milestones are the gross motor ones such as pulling up, cruising, and taking the first steps.
Pulling up, standing, cruising
You can support your baby in learning these skills by offering a pull-up bar. A pull-up bar is a wood bar that is attached to the wall at the child’s level. If you decide to use a pull-up bar, place it in front of a mirror so your baby can see her entire body moving.
Alternatively, you can use a heavy ottoman for your baby to pull up. Often, children find other objects to pull up on such as a low shelf or a couch. We didn’t have space for a pull-up bar when Emma was this age. She used to pull up on her shelf with toys (which was securely mounted to the wall) and on our sofa.
Walking
Some children take their first steps around 12 months, some are still crawling. There is a wide range of what is considered a “normal” age for children to start walking. If you’re concerned about your child’s development, reach out to your pediatrician.
To support your child, let him be barefoot when practicing crawling, standing, and cruising. If you have to use shoes, use the ones with flexible soles.
Montessori Toys for 9-12(13) Months:
Ball Hammering
This toy helps to develop your child’s motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Put the hammer aside and let your baby push balls through holes using her hands. This strengthens her fingers and palms. You can add the hammer later once your baby's hands are more coordinated.
I introduced this toy to Emma when she was 11 months old. In the beginning, it was too difficult for her. I waited and reintroduced it later. Around 12 months, she was able to push the balls through the holes. She figured out that when she stood up and pushed using her whole body, it would work. You can introduce this toy between 10-12 months.
Object Permanence Box 2 builds upon the skills your baby used when working with Object Permanence Box 1. Your baby puts the red ball through the hole. The ball disappears. The child needs to pull out the drawer, take out the ball and push the drawer back in before repeating the whole thing. When demonstrating how to use it, show your baby that the drawer needs to closed before putting the ball through the hole. If the drawer is open, the child won’t be able to find the ball in the drawer. This material is usually introduced between 11-12 months.
The puzzles help to develop hand-eye coordination and early STEM skills. We introduced these puzzles to Emma when she was 12 months old. She started practicing them at around 13 months.
Note: if using the affiliate link above, choose single shape puzzles
The tracker supports the development of gross motor skills such as standing up, squatting, and cruising. It helps to develop your baby’s coordination. While your baby tracks the movement of the balls, she is developing visual tracking skills which indirectly prepares her for future reading.
Emma loved this toy and used it often. She couldn’t hide her joy watching the balls going down the tracker. She liked to explore and put different things in the tracker to see if they would go down.
The tracker can be introduced between 9-10 months or later depending on your child’s development.
The Peg Box (not pictured)
This toy helps to develop fine motor skills such as grasping, hand-eye coordination, and shape discrimination. We introduced the Peg Box to Emma when she was 12 months old. This is one of the toys Emma used repeatedly. She enjoyed pulling out the pieces and putting them back.
Top shelf left to right: Ball Hammering, Object Permanence Box 2, Puzzles. Floor left to right: The Tracker, Wagon
Others:
The wagon supports the development of gross motor skills - pulling up and walking.
You can offer the wagon to your baby if you see that she is interested in taking the first steps but is lacking the courage to do so. Interest is the key here. Don’t offer this toy to a child who is standing only and doesn’t show any interest in walking.
Based on the brand, a wagon might need to be weighted down so it doesn’t flip over. We weighted our wagon down with dumbbells so it wouldn't go that fast, and it worked great. When using the wagon, let your child pull up on the handle by himself. Avoid putting him in the standing position.
Note: Our shelf is here just for your inspiration. You don’t need all these toys, and your baby might not enjoy all of them. Observe your baby first and see what she needs and what she is interested in. Also, remember that your baby might be ready for some of the toys earlier or later.
What are your baby’s favorite toys? Please share them in the comments.
More Montessori activities: