Uses index finger to point
Your baby's arms and shoulders are growing stronger, and they've been experimenting with gravity by raising their arms and reaching for objects. Their little hands are developing and they may have been using their whole hand to point at things and as a method of communication.
Motor movements and finger isolation
The term "finger isolation" refers to the movement of individual fingers. The index finger is usually the first finger to be used individually and can sometimes be referred to as the ‘pointer’ finger. The index finger is the first finger of the human hand, located between the thumb and the middle finger. It has an additional extensor muscle that makes it ideal for pointing.
When the index finger is used to point, many gross and fine motor movements are required in order to achieve this. Large muscles need to be developed in order for the smaller muscles to be effective. [2] Your baby has by now gained the skills of being able to use their gross motor skills to extend and lift their arm from their shoulder as well as use fine motor skills to stabilize their forearm, wrist and hand in order to point. [1]
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
Aside from the ever-evolving motor movements required for your baby to learn to point, Piaget carried out a study and found that babies and young children learn about their world through both motor actions and sensory experiences. According to Piaget, children progress through four stages of cognitive development, the first stage he called ‘The Sensorimotor Stage’. During this time, he concluded that babies and children learn skills by using and utilising their bodies.
Piaget believed that babies are able to gain knowledge of how to achieve things as a result of action and movements accomplished through the body. [2] Babies can lay a foundation for both physical and cognitive development by performing actions, repeating them, and refining them. For example, a baby will point with their entire hand, but as they explore their actions and movements, they will discover that pointing with only one finger is more effective.
What next?
Your baby will start to use their index finger to perform more complex actions, such as picking up small objects. Much later, they will eventually learn that other fingers can also be used in isolation.
References:
[1] S.J. Edwards, D.B. Gallen, J.D McCoy-Powlen, M.A. Suarez (2018). Hand Grasps and Manipulation Skills. Slack Incorporated
[2] V.G. Payne, L.D. Isaacs (2008) Human Motor Development - A Lifespan Approach. The McGraw-Hill Companies