Toes and textures – give your baby lots of new sensations to explore with their feet

What you need: 

• A safe outdoor space, such as a back garden or park 

What to try: 

• Take off your baby’s shoes and socks so that they can feel the textures of grass or mud under their toes, and let them have some tummy time in the grass.  
• If you’re concerned about the grass getting into your baby’s mouth, place them on a blanket with their feet over the edge so they can still feel the ground with their toes. 
• Encourage them to reach or move forwards, towards you or an interesting object, and notice how they use their feet to help make the movement.  

Good to know 

Give your baby lots of opportunity to explore with their feet by placing them on different textures. Wet mud, sand, soft carpet, hard floors, grass and even foil will all help your baby’s feet send signals to the rest of their body when they are developing their fine motor muscles. 

As their toes press into the ground, they might take a moment to be surprised by the new sensation of grass or mud, and want to explore it further by wiggling their toes or kicking their feet.