Scarf-tastic Baby Activities! (Guest Post)

Hello followers of The Intentional Momma! Isn’t she the greatest?! I was so honored when she asked me to write a guest blog. Thank you for this opportunity and I hope it is inspiring for us all!

I am so fortunate to be able to stay at home with my beautiful 10-month-old daughter, who we can call “Sweetie.” Being a stay-at-home-mom is an unbelievably exhausting yet totally fulfilling job, which is probably a true statement about motherhood in general. I’ve spent a decent amount of time looking for activities and entertainment ideas for infants and young babies. I found a lot of craft ideas (which I CANNOT wait to do with her) but I didn’t find much that I felt was specific to young babies. Then one day I bought a yellow floral scarf at the thrift store for 50 cents and got creative. Below are some activities we have discovered and created with our many colorful scarves.

Scarf-tastic Baby Games
1. Peek-A-Boo – This is a classic game. When Sweetie was an infant, I would hold a scarf in front of my face and ask, “Where’s Mommy?” and as I dropped the scarf, “Here she is!” As she grew older, I starting putting the scarf on her head and would ask, “Where’s Sweetie?” Then I would quickly pull the scarf into her lap and exclaim, “There she is!” Before long, she learned to pull the scarf down on her own, and now she will pick up a scarf and hold it in front of her face and then laugh as she pulls it down. It melts my heart!

2. Hands & Feet – When Sweetie was much younger and before she was grabbing at things, I would roll up a scarf and VERY GENTLY tie it around her wrist or ankle. The bright colors would catch her eye as she moved. This is a good way to help your baby find her hands and feet and discover that she can control their movements. Fascinating!

3. Fly A Kite – We learned this at a baby class at our local library. I sing ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite’ (or any other song I can think of, honestly) while I gracefully wave the scarf around like it’s a kite in the breeze. I often give Sweetie her own ‘kite’ but at this point, she just puts it in her mouth. Whatever makes her happy!

4. Sorting – I sort the scarves by color. As I put a scarf in a pile, I talk about the colors and patterns on it as well as those already in the pile.

5. Magic Trick – I stuff a scarf into an empty toilet paper roll leaving a small piece hanging out. Then I slowly pull it out to reveal the whole scarf and wave it around. You could also put several scarves tied together in a paper towel roll or an empty baby wipes container. TADA!

6. Swirly Scarf – With two or three scarves tied together end-to-end I hold one corner and swirl them around ribbon dancer style! The weight of the knots helps to make nice shapes and spirals in the air so sometimes I tie a few extra for good effect. (The cat likes this one, too!)

7. Popcorn – I sit on the floor with Sweetie and pull all of our scarves together. Then I take handfuls and throw them in the air. As they fall I grab more handfuls and throw them up again and again and again. I like to see if I can have at least one scarf in the air at all times. This can be quite exhausting because sometime the scarves fall a bit out of reach so I am grabbing and throwing and reaching and throwing. All the while, Sweetie is sitting there watching me make a fool of myself. My husband said I appear to enjoy this game much more than Sweetie. Secretly I know he’s right!

8. Dancing Scarf – I hold a scarf by two corners in front of a bright window or light. In varying speeds, I shake one or both corners and make the scarf dance. Sometimes I even dance along!

9. Stroller Scarf – I tie a scarf to the canopy of Sweetie’s stroller. When we are out for a walk, the breeze catches the scarf and she watches it wave around. She also likes to kick it with her feet, and sometimes she is even fast enough to grab it with her hands.

10. Free Play – It is important to provide free, unstructured play for babies and young children, so I often will sit Sweetie on a pile of scarves and let her explore the textures and colors on her own terms. I often do this early in the morning while I sit and drink my coffee.
I hope you find inspiration from our colorful games! Please share any more Scarf-tastic ideas you and your baby have discovered!

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