18 Mo. Motor Skills

Get That Baby MOVING!

How Much and What Kind of Physical Activity Do Babies Need?

Just like kids and adults need daily physical activity, your baby was born to move! In addition to building muscular strength and balance, physical activity has been shown to improve your infant’s motor development, bone health, social skills, and more. But how much is enough? And what kind of exercise can your baby really do?

According to the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should have several rounds of interactive, physical activity each day, in addition to at least a half hour of tummy time. WHO also discourages any screen time and too much “contained” time in car seats, strollers, and high chairs, both of which can detract from time babies could be spending moving their bodies and engaging their brains. Once you’ve created a soft, safe (no plugs, cords, or small items) area with enough room (a roughly 5x7 clearance) for your infant to play, here are a few ways to encourage physical movement:

-          Bounce your baby on your lap

-          Play patty cake

-          Play peekaboo

-          Clap along to music

-          Show baby how to shake a rattle

-          Dangle soft toys above baby

-          Bicycle baby’s legs

-          Gently pull baby’s arms (support their head if they can’t do it on their own) to lift them from a lying to a sitting position

-          Make a mountain of pillows for baby to crawl over

-          Place toys just out of baby’s reach

-          Roll a soft ball past baby

-          Show baby how to bang a wooden spoon on a plastic container

-          Create a crawling tunnel out of a smooth cardboard box

-          Support baby as you lean them over and let them right themselves

-          Introduce push and pull toys

The more baby moves, the stronger they’ll be, so be sure to make exercise a part of your little one’s daily schedule!

Montessori’s 5 Cs

Raising a Curious, Confident Learner

If you’re familiar with the Montessori method, you know that schools following these teaching principles focus on child-guided, hands-on learning. There are no lectures or timelines – students explore concepts at their own pace, in their own way, working until their personal curiosity is satisfied. In fact, curiosity is the first of Montessori’s powerful “Cs”. Learn more about these concepts so that you can support your child as they follow their own learning path at home:

Curiosity – Present your child with an activity, demonstrate it for them, then step back and let them explore on their own. Watch as they discover various elements on their own, using each piece or the whole as they wish. Let them play as long as they are interested, without intervening, but redirect if you sense they are becoming frustrated.

Communicating – Speak to your child calmly and lovingly. Praise their exploration, curiosity, patience, and perseverance rather than their efforts or outcome. Encourage them to continue exploring and ask them questions about what they’re doing. Demonstrating positivity and support not only builds self-confidence in your child, it also teaches your child how to speak kindly to others.

Correcting – The ability to recognize a mistake and try again – without becoming frustrated or defensive – will serve your child well throughout their life. Teach them that mistakes are part of the learning process by gently redirecting problems and suggesting a possible solution to try next. Sticking with a problem is more important than getting it right the first time.

Conceptually – You may have heard about Growth Mindset – the idea that everyone is capable of learning a concept and just because a student doesn’t understand it – YET – doesn’t mean they never will. Montessori believes that learning is a journey and there is much to be learned by the process itself. Encourage your child as they embark on the journey and every step of the way.

You can build a curious, confident learner by following these tips from Montessori. Set out a new activity for your little one today and see how they respond!

Tripping and stumbling are not uncommon as little ones develop the gross motor skills they need to walk, run, jump, climb, swing, throw, and catch with confidence. Building the large muscle groups – the arms, legs, feet, and core – provides the strength, balance, and coordination kids need to move their bodies with ease. And the good news is that gross motor development is fun! Give these five activities a go to help your little one feel steadier on their feet:

1.       Hopscotch! Grab the sidewalk chalk and create a simple hopscotch course. Challenge your child to hop through first on one leg, then the other, then on both feet. Add more boxes and trickier moves as your little one builds their skills.

2.       Catch! Start seated, rolling a soft, bouncy ball back and forth to each other. Then stand a few feet apart and practice tossing and catching. Back up a foot or two to increase the difficulty as your child’s aim and coordination increase. Shake things up by attempting to toss the ball into a laundry basket or large bucket or aiming for a chalk circle target on your garage door.

3.       Walk the Plank! Create a floor-level balance beam with masking tape on your carpet and take turns walking across it without falling off. Try walking flat footed, on tippytoe, taking large steps and small ones, and walking forward, backward, and sideways. Turn your plank into a zig zag or circle. Tip: raising your arms out to the side helps with balance!

4.       Stork! Set the timer on your phone and practice standing on one foot for a few seconds, then try the other foot. Increase the time as your little one’s balance improves, then see who can stand the longest on one foot without falling down. Don’t forget to switch feet!

5.       Jump! Place a series of washcloths on the carpet in a room with lots of space (don’t try this with hard wood or other slippery floor surfaces). Demonstrate jumping from cloth to cloth using regular steps and jumping with two feet. Change up the course to make things more challenging – try spreading the cloths out and leaping from cloth to cloth.

6.       Freeze! In a safe, open space, let your child loose to run as fast as they can. Yell STOP and see if they can stand still in place for a second or two before you yell BACK and have them run back to you. Continue with STOP, GO, and BACK until you need a hydration break!

7.       Skip! Skipping requires both gross motor skills and coordination, so don’t worry if your child comes up with their own version of the move. Start by stepping forward with one foot and hopping up in place. Practice this a few times, then practice with the other foot. Put it all together – step forward, hop up, switch – and you’re skipping!

8.       Go Wild! Watch some nature videos on YouTube, noting the way that different animals move. Then see if your little monkey can copy those moves. Call out gorilla, frog, penguin, bear, flamingo, and kangaroo and see if your kiddo can make the moves.

9.       Follow the Leader! This is a great way to help your child practice specific skills they need, from reaching for the sky (without falling over) and balancing on one foot to jumping over a small obstacle or walking on all fours.

10.   Fill the Bucket! Start with two similarly sized buckets, laundry baskets, or clean indoor trash cans. Add small balls, rolled socks, or crumpled paper to one of them, then time your child as they remove the items and transfer them to the other bucket, one by one. Move the buckets father apart as your child’s time improves.

Building gross motor skills is fun, and before you know it your little one will be climbing trees and riding bikes. Enjoy this time together, working on the skills they need to put their best foot forward, literally!