Seeing your baby develop their gross and motor skills is very exciting. We all wait for our little one to start moving around more, crawling and pulling themselves up and yes, eventually, taking their first steps. It is a real joy to see your child intrinsically motivated to move around and show determination and perseverance when faced with difficulties. Although this is a very exciting time, I am sure that I am not the only parent quietly thinking, after hours of baby proofing the house, how much easier everything was when your little bundle of joy simply enjoyed sitting up and not taking everything off all the furniture that they can possibly access! But don't worry parents, help is on the way and I have prepared some useful tips (in article 'Baby Proofing Your Home') on how to baby proof your home to ensure that your baby can focus on their hard workout and developing they physical prowess whilst being safe. The time between 6 and 9 months old is when your child will start exploring more how they can move their body as well as manipulate various objects using hands whilst developing their hand-eye coordination. This is a very important milestone and there is a number of things that we can do to support our little athletes on their quest. When discussing motor development we consider the growth and strengthening of a child’s bones, muscles and ability to move and touch his/her surroundings. This can be further broken down into gross motor development that involves development of muscles responsible for larger body movement that enable babies to hold their head up, to sit and crawl, jump, run, hop etc. and fine motor skills, which refer to small movements in the hands, wrists, fingers, feet, toes, lips and tongue. [1] Both gross and fine motor skills are essentially what enables us to move, coordinate and manage our bodies on a large and small scale. From movement that is completely governed by involuntary reflexes and being totally dependent, your child develops into an independent and unstoppable bundle of movement by the age of three.[2] Below you will find a few examples of what you would typically expect from a child of this age when motor development is considered [1]. Your child may: Roll over in both directions and continues to rock back and forth and pivot Sit without support when put into that position or may be able to sit alone. It is not recommend to leave babies in a seated position for prolonged periods if they are not getting into it on their own Show the beginning signs of crawling and may later begin to crawl – either backwards or forwards Coordination between two hands begins. May be able to clap her hands, or bang two blocks together Be able to pull himself to a standing position, leaning on furniture Intrinsic Motivation and Curious Minds This inborn urge continues and strengthens by learning and discovering new things. Every gross motor development milestone brings with it a new discovery, which is very fascinating and liberating for your baby. They discover the abundance of things that they can do, start understanding cause and effect and these motivate them to venture out and continue on their discovery journey of their development. # When your baby rolls over the first time by chance, their sensory perception of the world is literally turned upside down. By seeing and feeling new things from a different perspective, their natural curiosity and senses are stimulated. They can’t wait to do it again, and this time, won’t wait for chance; they will try and try till they get it. Have a look at this brilliant video from Mama Natural of her baby's journey to crawling! I sometimes wish I had the same determination in me as the babies I work with! (3) Supporting your child’s motor development Your involvement in your babies development is crucial at this age. Apart from the intrinsic motivation that will help your child to move around, you are an invaluable motivator for your baby. You can create lots of exciting opportunities for developing your little one's motor skills by using simple things that you have at home, and some useful toys and equipment to make your child a bit more comfortable or interested. Items such as padded mats that will be comfortable for the first baby work outs and interesting toys that will encourage your baby to move closer to them and explore. Remember that once this journey of discovery starts, your baby will be hungry for more and more knowledge and opportunities to learn and practice their skills. Here are some simple things that you can do to support your babies development of their motor skills at this age: Encouraging your child to sit up Ensure that your baby has good head control and can keep their head up independently. Once they can do this you can practice by sitting your child up on your thighs in various positions before moving on to sitting up independently. Encourage your baby to sit up independently by providing support and using pillows or cushions. Offer sitting-up toys and activities to strengthen their core muscles. [2] Encouraging your child to crawl Rolling, crawling, and standing: create a safe and stimulating environment for your baby to practice rolling, crawling, and standing. Use soft mats or blankets for floor playtime and provide support as needed. [4] How can parents support their child’s motor skills development? Create a safe a stimulating environment for your baby This is such a fun time for you to be creative in designing a stimulating environment for your baby to practice their motor skills. Soft mats, rolling rattles and flashing toys can be great at encouraging your baby to move. All you need to do is place them out of reach so that your baby needs to move in order to touch them. If you combine this with exciting rooting from a parent, that's a recipe for success! You can be as creative as you wish and your baby will love it. The most important part of this though is YOU taking part. Who knows, this could be a great opportunity to have a joined workout session, press ups, push ups.... yeah! Provide lots of opportunities to practice their skills Remember that now that your baby knows what they could possibly be able to do if they practice a bit more, you should focus on providing them with ample opportunities to 'work out'. At meal times you can provide some soft spoons and cutlery for your baby to explore, use squeezy sensory balls and other sensory items for your child to hold and investigate whilst developing their fine motor skills. More on this will be included on my other article on 'Sensory Play' and use of open ended resources. Tune in with your baby and allow them enough time to practice one skill before you encourage them to move on to the next step. This is key to ensure that your baby's motor skills are developing well. The stages of this development are foundations that your baby builds for more refined movement over time, and you should not underestimate their importance. Observe your baby and they will tell and show you when they will be ready for the next step. Have Fun! 1. https://www.tinylove.com/uk_en/sevenelements/element/220/age/332 References - [1] https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/HelpfulRes/Articles/WaysEncourageMotorPhysical/index.html [2]https://www.tinylove.com/uk_en/articles/gross-motor-skills [3]https://www.tinylove.com/uk_en/sevenelements/element/220/age/332 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkN7j3To-uQ [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkcN7DMUiMc [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGIMVDOQL7c
