Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Developing Baby's Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are those movements involving fingers, hands and wrists, and helping babies learn to hone those skills can be both simple and lots of fun for baby and parent. Some examples of the skills are things like grasping and letting go, turning objects in hand, stacking, threading, drawing with crayons, snapping, buttoning, zipping, cutting and tying.
A natural area for building fine motor skills is at the highchair. Giving little ones, usually around nine to ten months, finger foods like O-shaped cereals, or other similar food is a great way for babies to practice their beginning pincher grasp and to build new foods into their diet at the same time. The pincher grasp is when baby uses the thumb and index finger together to hold onto objects.
At bath time, let babies and toddlers play with various empty containers to pour and spill water. This encourages them to use those hands and explore the world around them. Be sure to use different sized containers, and perhaps some with holes for sprinkling. It’s also a great use for those recycled yogurt and fruit containers you’ve got stacking up.
Then out of the tub, take some of those same containers and show baby how to stack them, or fill them with smaller objects and dump the contents into different ones. Don’t impose any rules, just model some ideas and let baby go.
Sometimes you don’t need any toys to play and develop fine motor skills. Ball up some aluminum foil and let baby bat it back and forth to you. Maybe let the baby drop it into a container, or toss it. Again, don’t worry about structuring the play, just be sure to put the foil up when playtime is done, and always supervise.
Art can be helpful in building those fine motor skills, too. Let baby and toddlers enjoy writing with crayons. They won’t particularly care about the end result, it’s the process that they are enjoying. Just give them a safe place to doodle. In a high chair, you can give them dollops of pudding to play with, or some edible peanut butter playdough. (There are lots of recipes for edible playdoughs floating around out on the internet, find one that works for you.)
When dressing baby, don’t rush all the time, but let baby help you by encouraging him or her to wriggle fingers free through sleeves or to aim arms into sleeves. Let baby pull off those socks, and go ahead and put them back on. It’s a game that develops those fine motor skills and babies never seem to get enough of playing.
When baby is ready, find some heavy thread and beads large enough that they can’t be choked on, and teach baby how to string them. Also, bigger wooden puzzles with knobs are great for chubby hands to develop new skills.
While reading books with your little one, encourage your child to do the page turning. This is another great skill builder. Soon you’ll realize how accurate baby is getting. Where once several pages would be skipped, now she or he is reliably turning single pages.
Blow bubbles outside and let baby try to catch them with their hands. Show them how to pop them with a clapping movement. Sidewalk chalk can be fun, too, as long as you make sure it doesn’t become an afternoon snack.
Toys that can be stacked, pulled or pushed are always good skill builders. Look for things that baby can play with in a variety of ways to keep their attention and avoid stifling creative play.
Musical instruments that baby can shake, pounds or press will reward those fine motor movements with delightful sounds. You can buy them, or make your own by filling a container with beans or pebbles and securing the lid carefully with duct tape. Or just open the cabinet and let baby discover the joys of banging pot lids together.
Go to the library to expand your repertoire beyond bye-bye and pat-a-cake. Finger plays are great for both fine motor and language skills and there are plenty of books out there for parents to help them when they run out of ideas after “Five Little Monkeys.”
Another great idea to combine fine motor and language skills is teaching your baby some basic sign language. While you’re at the library looking for fingerplays, pick up a book on signing for babies and learn a few key words and phrases. Proponents say there is the added benefit of less frustration in communicating for your toddler, and maybe as a result fewer tantrums.
However you decide to work on these skills just remember to keep it fun for you both.
A natural area for building fine motor skills is at the highchair. Giving little ones, usually around nine to ten months, finger foods like O-shaped cereals, or other similar food is a great way for babies to practice their beginning pincher grasp and to build new foods into their diet at the same time. The pincher grasp is when baby uses the thumb and index finger together to hold onto objects.
At bath time, let babies and toddlers play with various empty containers to pour and spill water. This encourages them to use those hands and explore the world around them. Be sure to use different sized containers, and perhaps some with holes for sprinkling. It’s also a great use for those recycled yogurt and fruit containers you’ve got stacking up.
Then out of the tub, take some of those same containers and show baby how to stack them, or fill them with smaller objects and dump the contents into different ones. Don’t impose any rules, just model some ideas and let baby go.
Sometimes you don’t need any toys to play and develop fine motor skills. Ball up some aluminum foil and let baby bat it back and forth to you. Maybe let the baby drop it into a container, or toss it. Again, don’t worry about structuring the play, just be sure to put the foil up when playtime is done, and always supervise.
Art can be helpful in building those fine motor skills, too. Let baby and toddlers enjoy writing with crayons. They won’t particularly care about the end result, it’s the process that they are enjoying. Just give them a safe place to doodle. In a high chair, you can give them dollops of pudding to play with, or some edible peanut butter playdough. (There are lots of recipes for edible playdoughs floating around out on the internet, find one that works for you.)
When dressing baby, don’t rush all the time, but let baby help you by encouraging him or her to wriggle fingers free through sleeves or to aim arms into sleeves. Let baby pull off those socks, and go ahead and put them back on. It’s a game that develops those fine motor skills and babies never seem to get enough of playing.
When baby is ready, find some heavy thread and beads large enough that they can’t be choked on, and teach baby how to string them. Also, bigger wooden puzzles with knobs are great for chubby hands to develop new skills.
While reading books with your little one, encourage your child to do the page turning. This is another great skill builder. Soon you’ll realize how accurate baby is getting. Where once several pages would be skipped, now she or he is reliably turning single pages.
Blow bubbles outside and let baby try to catch them with their hands. Show them how to pop them with a clapping movement. Sidewalk chalk can be fun, too, as long as you make sure it doesn’t become an afternoon snack.
Toys that can be stacked, pulled or pushed are always good skill builders. Look for things that baby can play with in a variety of ways to keep their attention and avoid stifling creative play.
Musical instruments that baby can shake, pounds or press will reward those fine motor movements with delightful sounds. You can buy them, or make your own by filling a container with beans or pebbles and securing the lid carefully with duct tape. Or just open the cabinet and let baby discover the joys of banging pot lids together.
Go to the library to expand your repertoire beyond bye-bye and pat-a-cake. Finger plays are great for both fine motor and language skills and there are plenty of books out there for parents to help them when they run out of ideas after “Five Little Monkeys.”
Another great idea to combine fine motor and language skills is teaching your baby some basic sign language. While you’re at the library looking for fingerplays, pick up a book on signing for babies and learn a few key words and phrases. Proponents say there is the added benefit of less frustration in communicating for your toddler, and maybe as a result fewer tantrums.
However you decide to work on these skills just remember to keep it fun for you both.
Babysitting tips
Babysitting Tips can help you to become a better babysitter. It is an exciting and great way to make money, not only as a teen but at any age. From babysitting for your family or friends' families to starting your own babysitting business, it is important to be ready for the responsibility.
The babysitter should know at leastbasic first aid. Accidents can happen, and it is vital to be prepared. Contacting the local Red Cross and asking about courses in first aid and CPR training can truly improve chances of getting babysitting jobs. It will show parents that a sitter is dedicated and qualified. Besides such information can be helpful throughout life.
An often overlooked part of babysitting is making sure the sitter is safe. Normally the focus is on protecting the children. However, the young sitter should always let parents, friends or family know where she or he is. Sitters with mobile phones should keep them handy.
The new sitter especially should make sure she takes only jobs she can handle. It is easy to get carried away and want to please people, offering to take care of children. However, looking after too many children can be hard work. It is important to know limits. Those experienced with looking after children may feel comfortable with caring for four or more children simultaneously. Yet it is sensible to start with one child and gradually work up confidence as skill grows.
Ensure all necessary contact numbers and details are available. The most important number is that of the parent's mobile phone. Also have the full address of the sitting location to hand in case you emergency services need to be called. Also ask the parents for a secondary contact person who is nearby, preferably a neighbor, especially if the parents will be out of town.
Check with the parents about any special rules, as the family may have certain customs of which the sitter is unaware. If a child asks to do something and you are unsure, it is always a safe bet to say no rather than trusting the child. The parent can be consulted for future sessions. Or if it is appropriate that they be interupted, call them directly. The parent will trust you more for it and its better safe than sorry, never be ashamed to ask!
These babysitting tips should get you started on your journey of caring for children. You can never learn too much or be too prepared. Please read through all of the articles at this site to get a thorough knowledge of what to do as a sitter.
Getting Baby to Sit Up on Their Own
At four months (or even earlier), your baby loves it when you pull her to a sitting position. She now has enough control over her back and neck muscles to keep her head from flopping over and leaving her nose in her navel. At first, however, her head might fall backward somewhat while you pull her up. Once upright, though, she can probably hold her head fairly steady. As your baby gains more and more control over her muscles during the fifth (or perhaps sixth) month, she will become able to keep her head in line with her chest and shoulders even while being pulled up.
Sitting up gives your baby so much more to see and learn that she won't be able to get enough of it. Once she's learned that you can pull her up to sitting, she probably won't even wait for you to offer anymore. Instead, she'll reach out imploringly-and you'll be unable to resist.
By her half-birthday (or perhaps a little later), your baby will probably do much of the work involved in pulling herself up to sitting. All you need to do is give her the fingers she needs to support herself while she pulls. Once she's sitting, your child can probably remain in that position without any support for quite some time.
Your baby may also be able to hold herself in a sitting position for a little while if you set her up just right. Plant her on her bottom and spread her legs in a V position for balance. Then pull her arms together and place her hands on the floor between her legs. (She will have to lean forward a bit to reach the floor.) By supporting herself on her outstretched arms and balancing herself with her legs, she can sit almost upright. With a little practice, she may even learn to support herself with just one hand.
Sooner or later, your baby will lose her strength, concentration, or balance and topple over. But in the meantime, she gains a whole new perspective on the world.
Babyproofing
Although your baby may hold a steady sitting position for some time by six months, she is still working very hard to maintain her balance. So don't leave her sitting up on a bed, couch, or chair.
When she's sitting on a hard surface, scatter plenty of pillows around her for the inevitable time when she flops over headfirst. Even then, don't leave her. If she falls face first and her body lands on top of her arms, she may not be able to lift her face from the pillows.
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