Once babies become mobile, they need safe, open spaces to practice crawling, rolling, pulling up, cruising, and walking. Combining physical movement and music builds powerful brain connections.
Infant-toddler professionals should nurture development in babies from the very first days of life, giving them engaging experiences that prepare them for later, more specific learning in areas like math, science, music, and literacy. "Children are born with an incredible capacity and desire to learn… it is essential that children's first experiences are robust ones, steeped in activities that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, a deep understanding about themselves in a social society, and age-appropriate content" (PDE and DHS 2014). The goal of these encounters is to create opportunities for the baby to fully explore the world through her senses. These events will create "habits of mind" (Austin and Hynes-Berry 2015).
Developmentally appropriate choices
Teachers should intentionally select activities that match the observed interests or skills of a specific child. Engaging, developmentally appropriate activities should extend an already known ability or present an opportunity for the child to explore a developmentally appropriate "next step." For a reminder on typical infant development, download this infant development milestone chart.
Adults often compare children. This can be more harmful than helpful. Rather than compare, caregivers should observe a child, notice what she CAN do, what she's interested in and how she explores, and plan play experiences based on that knowledge. "Firsts" occur over a range of time. For example, first words appear in typical development anywhere from 8 months to 18 months. Other firsts--first teeth, rolling over, steps, eating solids, sleeping through the night--each have their own range of acceptable development.
Movers and shakers
Stimulate an infant's motor skills while she is lying on her back on the floor. Slowly shake and move a colorful object from one side of the baby's field of vision to the other. At first, the infant will only track with her eyes. As her muscles strengthen she will begin to move her head and maybe reach with her arms toward the toy.
Provide rattles and other sensory shakers. Create homemade shakers by filling see-through plastic containers with colored pasta, pinecones, beads, or colored liquids. Securely glue the lids. The brain is connecting all the pieces and learning as the child's body moves, sometimes reflexively.
Wrap Velcro bands with bells on wrists or ankles.
Background music increases the noise level in a room, which can be annoying or even intolerable for some children with lower thresholds for sensory input. Only use music for specific planned experiences.
Sway to music with an infant in your arms. Combining physical movement and music builds powerful brain connections. Experience all kinds of music-- not just children's songs. While an infant is on her back, hold her wrists gently and tap them together (over her midline) in time to the beats of a rhyme "To market, to market…." Do this same rhythmic touching of hand to foot, either on the same side or cross laterally--right foot to left hand.
Place an infant who sits confidently in a small basket or box and slide the box back and forth allowing the child to experience movement and strengthen her balance and core muscles.
Invite infants to touch, lie on, and crawl on different surfaces--grass, sand, quilt, vinyl mat, fuzzy blanket, smooth sheet, terry cloth towel, firm carpet. Each provides interesting stimulation for the infant. Allow infants to touch, taste, and smell non-toxic plants like herbs. (Note: sand play is not appropriate for young infants. It is appropriate for mobile infants under the watchful eye of their caregiver.)
Seat an infant on your lap, with hands around the child's waist. Bounce your knees saying "Giddy-up, Giddy-up, Giddy-up, Go!" On "Go," stop bouncing, move knees apart and gently lower the child a few inches. Repeat as the baby responds with enjoyment.
Make a tunnel from a large cardboard box by opening both ends. Place a mobile infant at one end of the tunnel. The caregiver should sit at the opposite end. Peek in the tunnel and say, "Hi!" Then lean away from the tunnel out of sight and say, "bye!" Encourage the child to crawl through or to make sounds to copy the words "hi" and "bye."
Once babies become mobile, they need safe, open spaces to practice crawling, rolling, pulling up, cruising, and walking.
Fabric square
Magda Gerber, infant expert and founder of Resources for Infant Educarers® (RIE), believed "active toys make passive babies; passive toys make active babies" (Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer 2009). Gerber's favorite "passive" toy for an infant is a 14" X 14" cotton scarf. When placed in a peaked lump near a baby, this scarf provides many opportunities for sensory play and discovery. How else could an adult and infant enjoy this fabric square?
- Lay a baby on the floor and gently place the fabric on his feet. If the baby kicks the fabric off, place it on his feet again. If not, encourage the baby to do so by moving his feet for him.
- Place the fabric square on the adult's head and allow the baby to pull it off or allow the square to fall with a slight tilt of the head. Count down each time…"5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Blast off!" Remember young babies are just developing their ability to see and judge distances, so reaching and actually grabbing an object will take practice.
- Pull the square across the carpet, enticing the infant to follow. What else?
Tummy time
Because infants sleep on their backs, having tummy time while they are alert balances their physical experience and provides a great workout, exercising key muscle systems needed for later movement (NRC 2012). Tummy time builds neck and shoulder muscles, needed for head control, which is necessary before a child can support his trunk. Between 6 and 12 months, tummy time strengthens back and shoulder muscles which help babies roll and crawl. Caregivers should start with three-to-five minutes of on-tummy interactions with an awake infant, increasing the time as the infant shows enjoyment.
Try these tummy time suggestions:
- Lie down on the floor just out of the infant's reach to encourage him to reach toward your face.
- Place a toy just beyond the infant's finger tips and encourage her to reach for it. Once the child can reach the item, increase the distance.
- Place toys in a circle around the infant. Reaching to different points in the circle will allow him to develop the appropriate muscles to roll over, scoot on his belly, and crawl.
- Lie on your back and place the infant on your chest. The infant will lift her head and use her arms to try to see your face (NRC 2012).
If an infant falls asleep during tummy time play, gently transfer her to a crib in the play space, placing her on her back to continue her sleep.
References:
Austin, Ben and Mary HynesBerry. 2015. "Collaboration with the Ounce Highlights Math Development in Children Ages 0-3." Erikson Early Math Collaborative.
Child Health Explanation. n.d. "Motor Skills Development Process."
Gonzalez-Mena, Janet and Dianne Wedmeyer Eyer. 2009. Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: A Curriculum of Respectful, Responsive Care and Education, 8th ed. McGraw Hill.
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC). Updated 2012. "Frequently Asked Questions: CFOC3 Clarifications."
Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services and Education. 2014. "PA Learning Standards for Early Childhood--Infants and Toddlers." Office of Child Development and Early Learning.
Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning. n.d. "Building Blocks for Babies."
Zero to Three. 2016. "Brain Wonders. Nurturing Healthy Brain Development from Birth."
