Tummy Time + Tales: Why Floor Time and Storytime Go Hand-in-Hand
If you’ve ever laid your baby on the floor for tummy time, only for them to faceplant and scream like you’ve betrayed them… welcome. You’re not alone. Tummy time is important—but it can feel like a bit of a chore for everyone involved. The good news? There’s a surprisingly lovely way to make it less of a struggle. Spoiler alert: it involves stories, sensory play, and you.
In fact, if you’ve ever typed how to make tummy time fun into your search bar at 3am while bouncing a grumpy baby on your shoulder—this one’s for you.
Tummy time isn’t just a workout—it’s the beginning of everything.
Before your baby rolls, crawls or sits, they need to build strength in their neck, shoulders, arms and core. Tummy time is how that happens. But here’s the magic: the more interesting you can make it, the longer they’ll stay there.
That’s where storytelling comes in. No, they won’t follow a plot or understand characters—but they will be mesmerised by your voice, your face, the rhythm, the sounds. Add in textures to touch, colours to gaze at, and props to reach for—and suddenly, your tummy time mat becomes the most exciting place in the house.
How to make tummy time fun (yes, really!)
Start simple. Lay down with your baby and read face-to-face. Use books with high-contrast images or bold colours. Choose interactive stories with animal sounds or playful rhymes. Then bring it to life—add scarves, feathers, a rattle, or a soft mirror for them to explore.
Change the scene regularly (a new room, a different mat, an outdoor blanket). Add background music or sing the story with silly voices. Use your baby’s name in the story. Keep it light, playful and pressure-free.
Basically, combine the comfort of you with the stimulation of sound, texture and rhythm—and you’re ticking so many developmental boxes it’s almost unfair how good you are at this.
What we do at Adventure Babies
At our Adventure Babies sensory storytelling classes, we’ve turned this idea into a whole immersive experience. Every week, babies enjoy rich, interactive story worlds—while having plenty of freedom to explore props, sounds and textures on their tummies, backs or knees. It’s tummy time disguised as adventure.
Parents often tell us they’re amazed at how long their baby will stay happily engaged when the story is captivating and the environment is playful. They also tell us it’s the best part of their week on maternity leave—because it’s social, stimulating, and genuinely makes them feel like they’re doing something great for their baby. (They are. And so are you.) We would love to see your tummy time pics from inside and outside of class!
So if you’ve been wondering how to make tummy time fun without it feeling like a battle, try telling a story on the floor. You’ll be boosting your baby’s physical development, bonding beautifully—and maybe even buying yourself five more glorious minutes of calm.
