Nancy Kahn Scott has been the owner/operator of the My Gym Children’s Fitness Center in Palm Desert, California since 1996. As a hands-on owner with a child of her own, she knows a lot about helping the youngest members of the family learn how to move.
Even very young children can learn from fun and stimulating activities, as long as they are presented in a safe, fun and nurturing environment. Babies as young as six weeks old can explore visually and spatially through the use of songs, dances, baby-exercise and infant-safe rides, something we concentrate in our Little Bundles classes.
Slightly older children can take advantage of our Tiny Tikes classes, from age six to 14 months, which makes use of their newfound motor skills to give them the best time possible. From there they move on to even older classes, each one designed with a specific age group in mind.
Safe Environment in Which to Thrive
In all our My Gym newborn classes, we make sure we have a wonderful inviting environment for the babies, a nice warm facility with a carpeting surface on the floor, or blankets down so the baby is on something comfortable and soft.
Then we position interesting toys around the baby, just out of reach. They immediately will strive to reach for the toy they are interested in, whether they are kicking or propelling themselves forward, or using a rocking motion encouraging crawling.
That is an excellent way to encourage independent movement in babies, and we use it all the time at My Gym. The nice thing is that babies are quick to show you their delight when they actually are able to reach the toy they are striving towards. There is a sense of victory and immediate gratification when they get that toy.
You want to continue to encourage that feeling, not continue to move the toy away as they get close to reaching it. You have to let them achieve their goal. Otherwise you create a frustrating situation for the child, which isn’t good.
Practice at Home
If you want to practice encouraging independent movement with your child at home, put them on the floor and let them be on their tummies, but don’t let the baby be on the floor and walk away.
Instead, get down on the floor with them, encourage them to move and play with toys, do a puppet show in front of them and help them get across the floor to the puppet. Then praise them for their victories!
Children learn quickly when they feel comfortable and safe, and when they get lots of praise for their accomplishments, no matter how little they are. It’s easy to encourage your little one to become as independent as possible with just a little bit of time and energy and plenty of praise.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
