Today Tile Triggered Content

It's no surprise that some babies miss out crawling all together. When a baby learns to crawl, all manner of things are happening in their body and brain. We're not going overboard here when we say that this seemingly 'simple' process is actually incredible!

Uh oh, what was there has now gone? That’s right, your toddler is beginning to find more strength and they are pushing larger items and toys around the room. Let’s take a moment to think about all the skills your toddler shows off when they get busy with their own removals! 

Pushing toys can help your toddler develop in a number of ways; firstly, it helps them with their walking skills 

While your baby is learning to sit they are gaining valuable skills which will support them to write and draw when they get older.

When your toddler first begins to draw and write they control their movements from their shoulder. With lots of practice they will gain greater control of their arm, elbow, wrist and fingers and their writing will become smaller and eventually more precise.

You'll see your baby making movements like putting their hands by their face – especially when you are trying to feed them! You might be observing these actions for the first time, but they're not new to your busy baby.  

This is the first grasp that requires and involves more precise finger movements. Your baby will start picking up objects with their thumb and fingertips, rather than their whole hand. It allows babies to efficiently grasp and handle tools or items by moving the thumb and fingertips harmoniously. The skill is particularly useful for when children grip dining utensils, use a toy hammer, or paint brush. They also use the thumb and fingers in opposition to grab and pick up small objects and toys. This skill will lead to the development of the pincer grasp as they get older. 

Babies are learning vital things about the world when they explore with their mouths. They are unable to use their fingers as tools to explore, so they substitute them with their mouth. When something is placed in their mouth, your baby is learning about texture, temperature, shape and size. 

This is a significant moment. Passing an object between two hands is a skill that your baby will practise for the next few months and it requires coordination throughout their body.

You will start to see skilled hand-to-hand exchanges taking place.

Your toddler’s hands are developing and gaining more control. The different arches within their hands allow them to grasp objects of different shapes and sizes. The arches, bones, and muscles in the hand all work together to grip and hold objects. To hold on to the object once it has been grasped, your toddler will need to strengthen their gross grasp. Squeezing the hand closed is required, and this can only be accomplished once the hand arches have developed. 

For your toddler, stacking blocks and sending them tumbling is all about the fun, as it should be! But the next time you see your young builder in action, take a moment to fully appreciate all the developmental areas of learning they're demonstrating when doing this...