Motor development
Fine motor skills are the abilities to control the small muscles, generally in hands, feet and head whereas Gross motor skills are the ones regarding the baby's movements (crawling and walking). The development, during the first year progresses from head to foot (cephalocaudal trend), and also from centre of the body outwards (proximodistal trend). This can be noticed in every baby, when he uses his hand or holds his head straight before using his legs to stand. Also he controls his torso before manipulating toes and fingers.
Here are a few fine and gross motor skills a baby learns in the first year:- Head Control
- Reaching and Grasping (Hand-Eye Coordination)
- Rolling over
- Sitting up
- Crawling
- Walking
A baby cannot control his head until he is 3 months old. He starts gaining this skill when his neck muscles strengthen. About 7 months of age, he controls his head completely.
Activities to do to encourage the baby's head control:- Lay the baby on his stomach on the floor. Do this several times a day-give him time and encouragement to practice.
- Get down on the floor with the baby face-to-face and entice him lift his head. Alternatively, you can put an attractive picture or an unbreakable mirror in front of his face.
Click here to read about Hand-eye coordination and the activities to encourage the baby's reaching and grasping skills.
Rolling-over:This is one important milestone a baby reaches when he is 4-5 months old. At this age he might do it in only one direction (back-stomach or stomach-back). By 7 months, the baby would be able to flip in both the directions.
Activities to encourage a baby to roll-over:
- Place the baby on the floor or any other surface to give him enough space to practice.
- Praise the baby when she does it successfully, at least better than previous time.
- Hold an eye catching object next to her. This could make her turn that way, eventually flipping herself to reach the object.
When the baby learns to roll-over, she quickly learns to sit up. When given rigid support, she sits up when she is 4 months old. She may successfully sit up when 6 months old, and when she is 1 year old, she sits unaided.
Activities to encourage a baby to sit up:
- Place him on the lap, facing outward. Your stomach and legs give support for the baby's back.
- Prop the baby on a pillow.
When the baby is 8 months old, she starts lifting her chest when gets herself on her hands. When she is able to get herself on hands and knees, she achieves some form of locomotion. This happens between 8 to 13 months. Anyway, this period differs with every baby. Each baby has a unique way of developing this skill. This form of locomotion happens in many ways. After she learns to get herself on hands and knees, she may rock back and forth before getting around rocking, rolling or squirming on her tummy. It takes nearly a month like this for her to learn to really crawl. Some babies do not crawl at all; they directly go on to walk!
Activities to encourage a baby to crawl:
- Place any object of interest at a distance and encourage the baby to reach for it. To add motivate, the object can be pushed to a far away distance after she play with it for some time.
- Crawl along with the baby, playing games like getting her or hide and seek. This could be fun for the baby as this would be the first locomotive game :-)
- Fill things around the room and make her crawl so that she can practice crawling over, around and under things.
This is the most expected milestone in a baby's first year. After 9 months of age, the baby develops strength in her legs and she can stand aided. When she gains control over this, she can walk aided when she simultaneously stands unaided. This particular milestone differs with each baby, from 9 months to 1 and a half years of age.
Activities to encourage a baby to walk:
- Place any object of interest at a distance and encourage the baby to reach for it. To add motivate, the object can be pushed to a far away distance after she play with it for some time.
- Crawl along with the baby, playing games like getting her or hide and seek. This could be fun for the baby.
- Stand at a distance and encourage her to walk to you.
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