Today Tile Triggered Content

A person’s preference for using either their left or right hand is known as hand dominance. Your child’s left or right ‘handedness’ is in its very early stage of development, and while they may start to show more use of one side over the other, it’s unlikely to be consistent at this stage.  

Spotting which hand they are showing a preference for... 

We often feel the need to take over and help to get the perfect biscuits.  But it's not the final biscuit that is important here, it's the process of making the biscuits. 

Young children benefit from opportunities to repeat and practise different actions. This helps their brain development and learning as they grow. Babies love exploring how things move and soon discover that whatever is dropped or thrown falls down, never up!  

In-hand manipulation is the ability to move objects around the hand, and position them, without using your other hand. This is something we use often in everyday life, for example, when we pick up a coin and put it in the slot to pay for parking, put the lid on the toothpaste, or pick up a pen and write.  

Your toddler is probably starting to get more confident doing this, perhaps picking up food and holding it in their palm before moving it to their fingertips so they can eat.  

Toddler squatting is a perfectly natural movement. Humans used to squat all the time and in many parts of the world squatting is common while cooking, eating, foraging and sitting. Regardless of why your toddler squats today, the advantages of this skill are eye-opening. 

Squatting offers your toddler a different perspective of the world 

Now your toddler is developing their physical skills and can notice more detail in photographs and pictures, they will be able to point out the ones that interest them. It's a wonderful time for you and your toddler to look at photographs together!  

Looking at pictures of family members is brilliant for brain development.  

Not sure whether your toddler is using their pincer grip? Think about the OK sign....  

When you see a pincer grip in action, the thumb tip and pointer fingertip should be touching each other. An open space will be created between the thumb and finger.  

Babies are born with primitive reflexes which are response to stimuli that are controlled by the primitive area of the brain, the brainstem. 
 
What starts out as an involuntary movement coming from the brainstem, moves into a controlled response as they become more aware of and in control of their movements. 
These reflexes are demonstrations of your baby’s brain development! 
 
Two reflexes you can see in your babies’ feet are: 
 
Babinski reflex

The pincer grip simply means the ability to pick up objects using the thumb and index finger. This enables your baby to pick up small objects and move them around. They may not be successful with every attempt, and this is to be expected.  

Your baby's fine motor movements are gradually becoming more controlled. They are most likely better at coordinating movements in their arms and hands, which allows them to reach for objects. Each movement your baby makes increases brain connections – and your baby is learning at a rapid rate!