1) Their body is learning to balance, while being off the floor – that's no mean feat!
2) Their hands and knees are moving together to promote bilateral co-ordination. This means both the right- and left-hand side of the brain are working together. In later years, bilateral coordination is needed when learning skills like banging blocks, climbing, tying shoelaces and cutting with scissors.
3) When your baby crawls, they build strength in their shoulders which will support them in gaining stability. This further supports self-feeding, dressing, throwing and writing as they grow and develop.
4) Your baby is learning to use different parts of their hands. When they crawl, your baby will use the outer side of their hand, by their little finger. The pressure and feelings created in this movement support future understanding of how to grasp objects and where to apply pressure when holding a pen.