Gross motor development
An infant visually explores the room from a secure sitting position in a caregiver’s lap.
None
[Hold an infant securely on your lap in a comfortable chair. Support the infant’s neck and back with your body while ensuring infant can freely move his/her arms.]
[Explain to the infant that you are holding him/her so we can look around the room. Example: “Diego, I am holding you in my lap so we can look at things in our room.”]
[Describe parts of the room to the infant, including descriptions of the actions of other caregivers and infants. Shift your body so the infant has a direct look at specific parts of the room. Offer pauses for the infant to react to what he/she hears and sees.
If the infant does not seem interested in looking at parts of the room, hold a colorful toy for the infant to see. Talk about the toy. Move the toy close to the infant and encourage him/her to touch the toy. Move the toy away from the infant and then slowly back to his/her mid-line. Touch the infant’s toes and fingers with the toy in a playful manner.]
[Describe what happened. Example: “You sat on my lap. We looked around our room. You are getting stronger and can see things in a different way.”]
At about 3–4 months, an infant may begin to hold his/her head up without support. It is not uncommon for an infant to wobble slightly as you support a sitting experience. Maintain your focus on the infant at all times. The infant may be mostly focused on the feeling of sitting. Some infants may be interested in looking. The period of time the infant sits with your support may vary from 30 seconds to 3–4 minutes.
Look carefully for an indication that the infant wants a shift in position. The infant’s muscles may begin to tighten and/or the infant may vocalize discomfort. At any signal of distress, respond to the infant by repositioning him/her and offering comfort if needed. A slight rocking motion is often comforting to an infant. An infant may feel tired or quite stimulated by a sitting experience. Provide soothing support to help the infant return to a calm, alert state, if needed. With repeated daily practice, the infant will gain balance and strength in his/her neck, back, and other muscles of the torso (core).
Extra support
Enrichment
Gross motor development
Infants who can sit independently practice balancing their bodies in a sitting position while extending their arms to pretend to feed a hungry puppet.
Introduce several infants to a friendly and hungry puppet! Demonstrate how to feed the puppet. Then encourage the infants, one at a time, to hold their arms out from their bodies to feed the puppet. Begin with an infant who seems especially eager to feed the hungry puppet. Add a fun challenge by having the puppet tell a mobile infant “I cannot reach the food. Can you hold it up higher?” Encourage the infants to reach toward the puppet. Infants may also enjoy offering a toy for the puppet to play with. See Extra Support tips for alternatives to a puppet and/or feeding a hungry puppet.
Pretending to feed the hungry puppet is a way for infants to practice balancing their bodies in a sitting position while also extending their arms. Some infants may feel uncertain about feeding or touching the puppet. Hold the puppet still for an infant who seems unsure about feeding the puppet. Suggest the infant pat or pet (instead of feed) the puppet if it appears the infant does not wish to feed the puppet (see Extra Support tip). Some infants may be more comfortable with a familiar soft animal, such as a teddy bear or doll, instead of a puppet. What is important about the activity is the infant’s practice in balancing his/her body in a sitting position while moving his/her arms.
Infants generally enjoy pretending to engage in basic care routines, such as feeding. At a young age, infants often try to put things on their parent’s mouth, and may need a reminder (including a demonstration) that the puppet is hungry. Wait until the infants are confident with the puppet to add exaggerated puppet actions. If infants get very excited about the puppet, change the tone of the activity by using a quieter voice for the puppet and moving it slowly.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: art cards, small container, animal figure, balls, stacking cup, shape sorter, mailing tube
Create interesting arrangements for infants to see as they lay on their backs in a play area. Infants enjoy looking at faces and at contrasts between light and dark. Use art cards to add interest to the area designed for non-mobile infants.
For early mobile infants, select two types of toys for a special play area. Stacking cups with toys inside are fun to explore. Use a small container to cover an animal figure. Infants will enjoy discovering the toy!
Infants who crawl and walk enjoy finding surprises to manipulate, such as a ball inside a stacking cup. Place toys at different levels for crawling and walking infants to discover.
For infants who stand or walk, provide toys to drop into containers, such as a potato chip container and balls. Infants will also enjoy playing with a small ball that fits through a mailing tube.
Materials Needed: small boxes, newspaper, tape
Extend Option 2 balancing practice to young toddlers by providing small boxes that are empty or stuffed with newspaper. Tape the boxes closed. Toddlers will enjoy passing the boxes to one another while seated near one another and/or carrying the small boxes from place to place.
© 2024 The Trustees of Purdue University | All Rights Reserved