Has your child learned to blow air? Does he use his tongue on the roof of his mouth to make clicking sounds? These are two important tricks for learning to speak.

If you make a game out of blowing air and clicking your tongue, your child will try to imitate you.

Put a small ball on your baby's high chair tray and blow on it until it rolls toward him. See if he can blow it back to you.

Now is also a good time to play the "touch and name" game. Touch different parts of your baby's body and name them: "Here is Billy's nose. Where are Billy's fingers?"

Touch parts of your own or your partner's body and do the same thing. "Here is Mommy's nose. Here is Daddy's nose. Here is Billy's nose." This game helps your baby learn about herself, her body, understand the connection between words and objects, and practice speaking.

Most infants cannot point to a named body part until about 17 months of age. But research shows beginning to play language games now will help your child learn quickly.

In the early months, your baby held things in her hands in a single, clumsy way no matter how the object was shaped. Slowly, she learned to hold different things in different ways. By now she may be able to hold things between her thumb and forefingers, and turn them skillfully around.

At first your baby was interested in the size, shape and texture of things. By now he may also want to know how things fit together. If a toy has several parts, it will hold his interest.

Give your baby nesting cups (such as plastic measuring cups) to play with. Babies this age also like to put things into containers. Try small blocks and a bowl.

At 7 or 8 months most babies will put one thing down before picking up another. But the baby is learning to use each hand by herself. She may be able to pass a toy from one hand to the other now. Soon she will be able to hold two objects at the same time.

Around 9 months, the baby will hold and compare two toys, bang them and try to fit them together, or put one inside the other.

Try this activity: Give your baby a small object, such as a block. Then offer him another. What does he do? Does he move the first block from one hand to the other? Does he have a preferred hand (right- or left-handed)? Does he hold both blocks?

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