Found this article on Language Development and thought I'd share with my readers! :)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Help Me Help Myself
LOVE this article - although it's geared toward the preschool child ages 3-6, it is a good primer for all of us working with younger children and even infants. So many times, I find that a 6 month old infant becomes fussy because he cannot reach his arms far enough to get the toy he wants... he can almost crawl, but is not yet there. What a great example of how (just as the article describes) the SKILL to crawl leads to independence & confidence.
Sensitive Period for Movement
Over the last decade or so that I've been working with children both professionally and socially, I can absolutely attest to the fact that children want & need to MOVE! :)
I found this article (click here for article) and feel it does a great job of describing the sensitive period for movement in the preschool age. However, I wanted to mention that it is equally important for children to have PURPOSEFUL activity and opportunities for movement in infancy as well!
Presently, I am working with a family on reducing the time their four month old daughter spends in the swing and bouncer at home in the morning time, evening time and during the weekends. Consider for a moment the amount of time your child (or someone's child that you know of) spends in the bouncer or swing... While children absolutely love these comfort measures (swings and bouncers are so comfortable the child will literally fall asleep after a short time in them) they do NOT provide opportunities for movement. Substituting instead at least half of the time on the floor, the four month old child would be motivated to attempt rolling over, reaching for a toy, grabbing a dangling object or rotating their body in a 90 degree angle. In time, the child will begin doing even more! Scooting across the floor, rolling onto her belly and pushing her head up with her arms. I have already seen progress in the two weeks I have been working with this family - infants progress so quickly when given opportunities!
As this article mentions, the sensitive period for movement is from birth through the preschool years. I know you're going to enjoy the article and also exploring ways of incorporating purposeful movement into the routine of your little one! Happy parenting :)
I found this article (click here for article) and feel it does a great job of describing the sensitive period for movement in the preschool age. However, I wanted to mention that it is equally important for children to have PURPOSEFUL activity and opportunities for movement in infancy as well!
Presently, I am working with a family on reducing the time their four month old daughter spends in the swing and bouncer at home in the morning time, evening time and during the weekends. Consider for a moment the amount of time your child (or someone's child that you know of) spends in the bouncer or swing... While children absolutely love these comfort measures (swings and bouncers are so comfortable the child will literally fall asleep after a short time in them) they do NOT provide opportunities for movement. Substituting instead at least half of the time on the floor, the four month old child would be motivated to attempt rolling over, reaching for a toy, grabbing a dangling object or rotating their body in a 90 degree angle. In time, the child will begin doing even more! Scooting across the floor, rolling onto her belly and pushing her head up with her arms. I have already seen progress in the two weeks I have been working with this family - infants progress so quickly when given opportunities!
As this article mentions, the sensitive period for movement is from birth through the preschool years. I know you're going to enjoy the article and also exploring ways of incorporating purposeful movement into the routine of your little one! Happy parenting :)
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