an awareness of movement through the sense of touch
motivation to move forward
Place the baby face down on a soft mat or carpet and allow the baby to stretch his arms and legs to squirm. Place near him several large cotton reels that have been strung with one centimetre-wide elastic and tied securely at the ends, but leaving enough slack so that the reels can be rolled. Roll the reels in front of the baby encouraging him to watch as you roll them. Does your baby watch you roll the spools? Does the baby wiggle slightly to grasp the spools? Make sure that the reels are in clear view and reach of the baby. If the baby attempts to reach for the rolling reels, move them slightly away so as to encourage the baby to wiggle forward.You want to stimulate the baby enough so that he will attempt to stretch his arms, legs and torso and move towards the spools.
Pull the two end reels apart, stretching the elastic and slightly separating them. Tap the reels together to produce a tapping sound. Do this several times to interest the baby and encourage him to attempt to grasp the reels. Repeat this procedure and allow the baby to observe the reels and explore them independently.
Does the baby’s head lift in a wobbly fashion as the arms and hands extend and attempt to grasp the reels? Success with grasping is not likely at this age, but the idea is to motivate the baby to attempt it.
Repeat these activities often. These are the beginning stages of crawling.
This activity develops
an awareness of different sounds
an awareness of the origin of the different sounds
listening skills
an awareness of the rhythm 1-2
Clap your hands together to make a sound. Does the baby listen? Clap your hands again and observe the baby’s response. Take the baby’s hands and attempt to clap them together. Exaggerate the sound and say,‘Clap’each time that you clap.
Take two reels and tap them together to make a sound. Does the baby listen? Hit the reels together again and observe the baby. Continue doing this until the baby appears to be watching.
Take two jar lids and tap them together to make a sound. Does the baby listen? Continue doing this until the baby shows some sign of a response.
Tap two spoons or something else that is safe to use and make a sound. Repeat the tapping with a rhythm of 1-2, 1-2. Talk to the baby and try to encourage him to listen.
At other times throughout the week, try tapping other objects together to the rhythm of 1-2, 1-2. Also clap your hands to this rhythm when you are holding or playing with your baby.
Developing Grasp and Eye-Hand Coordination
This activity develops
an awareness of a rolling object
skill in watching a moving object
rudimentary skill in attempting to grasp
listening skill as you talk; this aids in vocabulary development
Use a round plastic spice container or one of a similar size. Place the baby on his back. Roll the container over the baby’s chest and down the abdomen and back up to the chest for tactile sensation. Repeat if the baby is responsive.
Place the baby on his stomach. Lay the plastic container on its side and roll it towards the baby. Make sure that the container is clearly visible to the baby. Try to encourage him to watch as you roll the container. Allow the baby to stretch his arms and legs to squirm. Does your baby watch you roll the container? Does he wiggle slightly in an attempt to grasp the container? For further awareness and stimulation, a jingle bell may be placed inside the container before rolling it to the baby. Allow the baby to touch and explore the container. Roll the container again to the baby and talk to the baby as you do this.
At this age the baby may prefer to be propped in a sitting position when the container is rolled. However, free movement and the urge to move forward and grasp is increased if the baby is on his stomach.
Observe the baby’s reaction as you continue to roll the container towards him. Does the baby make sounds, attempt to grasp the object or does he just watch? If the baby just watches, he is attending and eye coordination is taking place.
It is important to repeat some of the previous activities, especially those that produced very little response earlier.
This activity develops
an awareness of sound
an awareness of a rhythmical pattern
listening skills
the sense of touch
Remove the metal ends from a large empty tin can, such as a big coffee tin, and replace them with plastic lids that fit snugly on each end. Set the can in an upright position in front of the baby. The baby should be in a propped sitting position.
With your hand, tap on the top of the plastic lid in a pattern or rhythm of 1-2, 1-2. Talk to the baby and encourage him to listen as you tap and say,‘1-2, 1-2.’
Does the baby pay attention? Repeat the tapping several times and try to encourage the baby to use his hand and tap to make a sound. Do not expect the baby to make a pattern. However, if you repeat this activity often enough the baby will be able to produce the pattern when he is a little older.
This activity develops
language enrichment
listening skills
an interest in repetition
an interest in rhythm
Buy or borrow a nursery rhyme book from the library. Choose some of your favourite rhymes and read, recite or sing these rhymes for your baby to hear. Repeat each one several times. The nonsensical words of these ‘catchy’rhymes will entertain the baby as he listens.
Show the baby the picture that corresponds to the rhyme. The brief glance at the pictures will serve to develop beginning associations of pictures and words. Rhymes and rhythms are useful in developing early listening skills.
Repeat the recitations of the nursery rhymes whenever possible. The baby will learn to listen. As he begins to talk later, he will recite parts of his favourite rhymes spontaneously.
This activity develops
eye-hand coordination
skill in making eye contact with stationary and moving objects
an awareness of left and right
enhancement of the sense of touch
Prop