Bounce your baby on your lap, lift them high, swish them side to side, and drop them gently between your knees, all timed to a silly, building chant. The Washing Machine Bounce is a knee-bouncing game with a real sequence to it, and nine-month-olds quickly learn to anticipate exactly what’s coming.
Why this game matters
Unlike a simple repeated bounce, this game has a genuine multi-step sequence, bounce, lift, swish, drop, lift again, each paired with specific words. A baby who has played it a few times starts visibly anticipating each movement before it happens, which is a real, observable sign of growing memory and sequencing skills, and the brief, thrilling surprise at each turn also builds a baby’s comfort with safe, managed anticipation.
What you need
A secure seat, the edge of a chair or couch, and your baby on your lap.
How to play
Sit on the edge of a chair or couch with your baby held securely on your lap. Chant, “What’s the matter with Dickory Dean?” while bouncing them gently. Lift them up high: “He jumped right into the washing machine!” Bring them back to your lap and swish them gently side to side: “Chug, chug, chug, chug,” repeated twice.
Bounce again: “Nothing’s the matter with Dickory Dean.” Then slow down and say, “He dove in dirty…” while gently lowering them down between your knees, before a final triumphant lift: “And he jumped out clean!”
Variations
Slow the whole sequence down dramatically for one round, then speed it up for the next, which most babies at this age find genuinely funny once they’re familiar with the pattern.
Pause right before a key movement, the big lift, the drop, and watch for your baby’s anticipation, a grin, a kick, a squeal, before continuing, which is a nice, informal way to see how well they’ve learned the sequence.
Safety notes
Keep a secure, firm hold throughout, particularly during the lifts and the drop between your knees, and keep movements gentle and well within what feels safe and comfortable for your particular baby.
Why the anticipation is the whole point
The real engagement in this game comes from a baby learning the sequence well enough to anticipate what’s coming, which is exactly why repeating it often, rather than introducing constant variations, tends to work best. A baby who starts kicking with excitement right before the big lift has genuinely learned and is actively predicting the pattern, which is real, visible cognitive progress wrapped inside a few seconds of silly bouncing.
A chanted rhyme and a sequence of gentle, secure movements, repeated as many times as your baby seems to want, is a small ritual that builds genuine anticipation and memory, one delighted, well-anticipated “jumped out clean!” at a time.
