Gross motor development
An infant experiences a body position and caregiver encouragement that support rolling over.
Be Prepared: This brief activity is for an infant who can lift his/her head and sit with support (generally about 3–4 months of age). Offer the activity to an infant who is content and alert.
[Place the infant on a flat firm surface on his/her tummy. Sit on the floor to one side of the infant so he/she can easily see your face. Engage the infant with your smile. Talk with the infant, leaving little pauses for him/her to react.
Position your face in a way that encourages the infant to use his/ her arms for support in lifting his/her head and then shoulders to see you and/or to interact. The pleasure of the interactions may be exciting to the infant and cause him/her to move parts of his/her body.]
[Continue talking with the infant and making pleasing sounds when the infant moves. Example: “Mateo, ooh. Hi friend. You are lifting yourself up. Ooh! Are you doing teeny push-ups?”
The infant may be more interested in lifting up his/her head and shoulders if you introduce a colorful toy or ring a little bell rattle. Present the toy where the infant can easily see it.
Describe what the infant is doing. Example: “You are lifting your head and shoulders and looking around. Your legs, arms, back, and tummy muscles get stronger when you move around. Every day you get stronger. Someday you will roll over!”
The infant may surprise himself/herself by flipping over. The infant may use his/her legs and arms to increase motion for rolling from tummy to side.
Be aware of fussing that shows the infant is working hard to achieve his/her goal. Encourage the infant to persist for a moment or two before helping. Give verbal encouragement. Example: “You are really working hard to roll over!”
Watch for signs of fatigue. Fussing or looking away can also indicate a change in activity is needed. Hold or carry infants who need a change of pace.
This activity may span 1–2 minutes for some infants, longer for others.]
[Describe the infant’s actions, especially body movements. Example: “You held yourself up on your arms.”]
An infant generally learns to flip over after developing the ability to hold his/her head and sit with support. Some infants are thrilled about rolling, while others may not prefer it. Many infants first roll from tummy to back and later develop a back to tummy roll. While development normally follows a pattern, each infant has an individual approach.
At about five months some infants push their chest off the floor and kick their legs. These movements strengthen an infant’s torso muscles, which are needed to complete a roll.
You may also see an infant push up onto his/her hands and shift weight more to one side, causing him/her to roll over onto the back. Rolling takes practice. It may take a while for an infant to duplicate an accidental roll, or to learn to move his/her arm out of the way on the way over.
Your role in this activity is to offer encouragement, which includes appropriate excitement in your voice and actions (perhaps with a toy) that encourage the infant to hold up his/her head and shoulders.
Extra support
Enrichment
Gross motor development
An infant experiences a body position and caregiver encouragement that support crawling.
Be Prepared: This activity is for an infant who can roll his/her body. Select a floor surface that you anticipate will best support the infant. Some infants move forward on a carpet with greater ease than on a hard surface. Select a soft toy that will appeal to the infant.
Sit on the floor close to an infant who has become accustomed to rolling. Observe and describe his/her motions. Some infants prefer to roll from place to place for several weeks, whereas other infants are working on getting into a crawling position, with weight balanced between hands and knees.
Stay close to the infant and encourage his/her motions. Position yourself for optimal interaction with the infant, especially so the infant can easily see your face and a toy you offer.
Sometimes an infant gets into a crawling position and rocks himself/herself without moving forward. Your smiles and positive descriptions of what you see can provide helpful encouragement. Example: “Alicia, you are up on your hands and knees. Rocking, rocking back and forth. I think you are getting ready to crawl!”
Encourage the infant to shift weight to one hand and reach with the opposite hand. Place a soft, attractive toy near the infant, so he/she can reach out to touch it with one hand. If the infant feels ready, he/she may reach toward the toy.
Infants often find it entertaining if a familiar adult crawls along on the floor close by. A gentle and lighthearted game of chase on hands and knees will delight some infants. Encourage an infant to crawl after you.
You will see many differences in the ways infants begin to move from place to place. For some infants, rolling is a way to move from place to place. There is no need to actively encourage getting up on hands and knees. Many infants progress from creeping with their tummy on the floor to crawling on hands and knees. Every infant has an approach to early locomotion.
An infant may crawl close to a wall and be unsure about how to turn around. Sit close to the infant and assist with problem-solving by reassuring the infant and showing him/her how to turn around.
The surface on which the infant is placed is important, as noted in Be Prepared. Outdoors, encourage an infant to move forward on hands and knees in a sandy area. For some infants, the feel of grass on their hands and feet is uncomfortable until they become familiar with the texture.
Extra support
Enrichment
Gross motor development
An infant participates in open-ended play with a caregiver that supports moving into a sitting position.
Be Prepared: This activity is for infants who are kneeling and beginning to stand. Select soft toys that are easy for the infant to grasp, such as people figures. The caregiver actions recommended below may occur as part of playtime with several infants.
Place play materials at different levels within the infant’s reach. Provide an enjoyable activity, such as playing with people figures on a low surface. An infant who is adept at crawling will discover play materials on low surfaces. Foster movement by providing space for infants to crawl and a variety of interesting toys.
Crawling and changing positions are complicated movements that take practice. Offer encouragement for an infant’s efforts to sit, including specific movements. Moving from a creeping position to sitting requires an infant to lean forward, and shift weight to hands. Weight from the knees then shifts to the infant’s buttocks.
Draw attention to the infant’s use of two hands to manipulate a toy(s). Infants enjoy using two hands to examine toys from the sitting position.
Enthusiastically acknowledge the infant’s efforts! Example: “Stella, you crawled over to the toy. Now you are sitting down to hold it. You did something new today!”
Curiosity about the environment and a desire to interact are both motivating factors for infants on the go. Observe and positively comment on the infant’s movements as you would an athlete in a favorite sport.
Often after attempting a new skill an infant will look toward or go to a nurturing caregiver for support and encouragement. Motor skills are physical in nature, but they occur within social-emotional relationships the infant has with caregivers.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: infant gym with toys, cloth books, non-breakable containers, toys, small bags or pails, several cube chairs
Create a space for non-mobile infants to move freely. Arrange toys close to non-mobile infants. Also place one or two toys slightly out of reach to encourage movement, such as rolling. Hang a few toys from a simple infant gym to encourage infants to swipe at the hanging toys. Place cloth books where infants can reach them.
For crawling infants, place interesting play materials in non-breakable containers. Infants will enjoy taking toys out of containers. Crawling infants may also enjoy the feeling of moving on a tiled floor as well as carpeting. Place several toys on different surfaces.
If infants in your room are walking, offer items they can carry from place to place, such as small bags or pails. Put several cube chairs side by side. Infants will enjoy pulling to stand and moving around the supports.
Materials Needed: sling or baby pack, Itsy Bitsy Yoga by Helen Garabedian, The Kids’ Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games by Annie Buckley
Children of all ages will enjoy moving in new ways. While infants are developing skills needed for crawling, younger infants will benefit from being held and carried in different positions. Depending upon an infant’s age and strength, carry some infants facing out, away from you.
Itsy Bitsy Yoga and The Kids’ Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games are useful resources for yoga activities that offer appropriate challenge for preschool-age and older children in body control.
A rainy day game for all ages can provide a movement challenge for older children. Invite children to sit in a large circle with space in the middle. Each older child can have a turn in the middle of the circle to show a favorite move, such as jumping, crawling, standing on one foot. Encourage children to be a good audience and clap for every child.
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