Big brother’s toys are so tempting to Veronika, but I usually keep her in a safe playroom filled only with baby toys. When she manages to break free into the hallway, she looks immensely satisfied with herself. Today, I indulged her desire for freedom and turned it into a little game. Here comes trouble…

Definitely only play this game with toys that are safe for a baby even if they belong to a big sibling. We set up a few large superheroes as the grand prize. You can cover them with a blanket or basket for extra excitement.

Travis knelt down next to Veronika until I gave the green light. And they’re off!

She had no idea she was having a race, of course, she was just having a blast! Meanwhile, Travis had the thrill of a chase and the satisfaction of winning.

Now it was Veronika versus mommy! I crawled along at her pace to her absolute delight, and we reached the toys together.

You can also deliberately let your baby crawl ahead of you, which gives you the chance to tickle little toes.

There are lots of variations on this game. Introduce silly concepts like “The last one there is a rotten egg!” or have the race be to a person instead of a toy.

What games do you play with your little crawler? Please share in the comments!