Picking up and letting go – supporting your baby to develop strength and control of their hands

With your baby's grasp and release abilities improving, there’s greater scope for introducing new games. It may have been a fun stage for your baby as they learned how to release objects (possibly not so much for you!). However, to willingly release an object with purpose is another significant advancement in their ever-growing abilities. 

Lots of games are the order for the day to further encourage this stage of development. The more your baby practises these purposeful motions, the stronger their hands will become.  

Ideas for picking up and letting go: 

• Shape sorters 
• Posting toys into containers 
• Dropping toys into water, at bathtime or when playing with water 
• Dropping toys into a box 
• Mealtimes (give your baby time to feed themselves) 
• Heuristic play – give your child a variety of toys and containers and lots of time to explore them!