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6-12 Months

Sitting, reaching, babbling and looking for things you hide.

Developmental information

6-12 Months · Developmental information

Open the communication milestones checklist for 7 to 12 months

Source American Speech-Language and Hearing Association

6-12 Months · Developmental information

Open the CDC 9 months milestone checklist

Source CDC

6-12 Months · Developmental information

Open the CDC 12 months milestone checklist

Source CDC

6-12 Months · Developmental information

Open the Pathways Assure brochure

Source Pathways.org

Communication and play

6-12 Months · Communication and play

Open the 9 month old play activities handout

Source Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

6-12 Months · Communication and play

Open 5 games to play with toddlers, 12 months

Source Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Movement and hand skills

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Sit and follow a toy

What this helps your child practice

Following a toy with the eyes, reaching for it and grasping it.

Materials needed

A ball or a toy.

Simple instructions

  1. 1Sit and support your baby upright on the floor.
  2. 2Move a ball or toy in front of them.
  3. 3Encourage your baby to follow the toy with their eyes, reach for it and grasp it.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Place toys just out of reach

What this helps your child practice

Reaching and moving.

Materials needed

Toys, or simple toys like rattles.

Simple instructions

  1. 1Place toys just out of your baby's reach to encourage reaching and moving.
  2. 2Use simple toys like rattles to encourage touching and holding.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Bang and shake

What this helps your child practice

Not yet added by staff

Materials needed

Wooden spoons, pots and pans, or sealed containers with beads inside.

Simple instructions

  1. 1Give your baby wooden spoons to bang on pots and pans.
  2. 2Or give sealed containers with beads inside to shake.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Pull to stand and squat

What this helps your child practice

Not yet added by staff

Materials needed

Stable furniture and toys on the ground.

Simple instructions

  1. 1Sit your baby near furniture and encourage them to pull themselves up.
  2. 2Make sure the furniture will not fall over.
  3. 3Place toys on the ground in front of your standing baby so they have to squat to pick them up.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Push and pull toys

What this helps your child practice

Not yet added by staff

Materials needed

A push-and-pull toy such as a block wagon. Heavy books or a bag of rice.

Simple instructions

  1. 1If your baby can stand with support, try push-and-pull toys like block wagons.
  2. 2If the wagon goes too fast, put heavy books or a bag of rice in it to slow it down.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Make tunnels to crawl through

What this helps your child practice

Not yet added by staff

Materials needed

Chairs or cardboard boxes.

Simple instructions

  1. 1Make tunnels out of chairs or cardboard boxes for your baby to crawl and move through.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

6-12 Months · Movement and hand skills

Quiet looking time

What this helps your child practice

Moving the eyes, and small finger movements.

Materials needed

Colorful books or pictures. Small objects or pegs and a bucket.

Simple instructions

  1. 1Let your baby spend time looking at colorful books or pictures.
  2. 2Let your baby pick up small objects or put pegs into a bucket.
  3. 3Stay close and make sure your baby does not put any small objects into their mouth.

Ways to include it in everyday routines

Not yet added by staff

Get a link to share

Feeding

6-12 Months · Feeding

Open the feeding and swallowing milestones for 6 to 12 months

Source American Speech-Language and Hearing Association

6-12 Months · Feeding

Open the 6 to 7 months feeding schedule

Source SolidStarts

Watch these

Short clips of what these moments can look like. Direct links are still being added by staff, so open the Liftoff hub page to watch them.

  • Reacts when you leave
  • Looks when name is called
  • Gets to sitting position independently
  • Lifts arms to be picked up
  • Bangs two things together
  • Looks for objects when dropped out of sight
  • Plays games with you
  • Uses pincer grasp
  • Drinks from an open cup
  • Walks holding onto furniture
  • Understands "no"
  • Waves bye-bye
Open the 6-12 Months page in the Liftoff hub

When to ask for help

You know your child best. Raise any of these with your pediatrician or your child's therapy team.

  • Has difficulty eating purees or beginning age-appropriate table foods, or frequently coughs, chokes, or gags during meals.
  • Does not respond to their name or familiar voices by around 9 months.
  • Rarely babbles (for example "ba," "da," "ma") or uses very few sounds.
  • Shows limited interest in people, games like peek-a-boo, or social interaction.
  • Has difficulty sitting independently by around 9 months.
  • Is not rolling, beginning to crawl, or showing interest in moving to explore their environment.
  • Uses one side of the body much more than the other or consistently favors one hand before 12 months.
  • Has difficulty reaching for, picking up, or transferring toys between hands.
  • Loses skills they previously had.
  • You have concerns about your baby's development, feeding, hearing, vision, or movement.