These Simple Activities Will Help Develop Your Baby’s Sitting And Walking Skills

• So, your child is doing great using their small muscles practicing their hand and wrist movements, and with your help are continuously improving their fine motor skills. But don’t forget another equally important skill that they need to develop: gross motor skills.

  These two skills go hand in hand and they will naturally develop it over time as they age. But helping them improve it will provide a number of benefits.

  The importance of gross motor skills 

  Gross motor skills are the physical skills that use whole body movements, unlike fine motor skills, which focus on the upper body. It involves using large muscles in our torso, legs, and arms to do more complex tasks like walking, running, and biking.

  It is important that these skills are developed and improved during childhood so they will be able to perform tasks that are needed for everyday life, no matter how easy or difficult the activities are.

  Gross motor skills involve the coordination of the muscles and the neurological system, which means they have an impact on balance and coordination. They are also related to other abilities including body awareness, physical strength, and reaction time.

  If these skills are poorly developed, it can affect a child’s daily life. It will make it difficult for your kid to do important tasks at school and the home. It can also have an impact on their self-esteem.

  What are examples of gross motor skills?

  Gross motor skills are developed starting in infancy and continues to improve during childhood. There are certain developmental milestones that they hit at different ages that involve the use of this skills.

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  Listed below are the different examples of gross motor skills that you might be able to observe from your child as they grow, and can help you determine whether they are having difficulties performing these tasks.

  • bending to pick up their toys
  • climbing up chairs or stairs
  • kicking or throwing things
  • sitting
  • crawling
  • standing
  • walking
  • running

  These examples may seem simple but they are real skills that your child will need as they grow. It takes one’s whole body to perform these daily activities.

  As they grow older, your child will eventually have more strength in their whole body to perform more advanced skills like riding a bike or playing sports. That’s why it’s important to have different activities that will promote gross motor skills development as they grow.

  What are gross motor skills activities

  Here are some fun activities you can do with your child to help them further develop their gross motor skills and improve your bond with them.

  3 to 6 months

  Flex baby’s legs

  While your baby is lying on his back, gently flex his legs by doing a bicycle motion. This improves your child’s flexibility and range of motion, and it helps relieve gas out of baby’s system.

  Pull baby up to a sitting position

  Let your baby lie on his back and slowly pull him toward you until he is in a sitting position. This helps develop your baby’s head control. Don’t forget to provide support for his neck — eventually, as your baby’s muscles get stronger, he will be able to sit up even without your assistance.

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  Encourage rolling

  Place your baby down on the floor so he is lying on his stomach. Tuck his arm underneath his torso, then put a colorful toy above his head.

  Ensure that your baby follows the toy with his eyes, moving it so baby will shift his weight over his tucked arm and encourage him to roll over onto his back. This excercise also teaches your baby to learn how to roll over from his back to his tummy.

  6 to 12 months

  Help your child go down slides or climb ladders

  You can encourage big movements at home with indoor playsets like the Pikler Triangle, an all-in-one sensory-motor development toy. It can be used for climbing or sliding, depending on which side is facing up.

  The Pikler can be used for gross motor development as they will learn how to balance, support themselves, and concentrate while using it. Just make sure that a parent or adult is always present to supervise play.

  Bubble play

  This is a fun way to have play time with your kid. With bubbles around them, it would be difficult for your child to resist popping them and if they are able to walk around, they will also be encouraged to chase after the bubbles.

  Dance time

  Another exciting activity is to play good music that your babies enjoy to encourage movements from them. We all know that good upbeat music makes them dance and grooves. Plus, it is a good exercise which promotes gross motor skills as it requires them to move their whole body and helps them get a sense of balance and coordination.

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  A fun obstacle course

  An age-appropriate obstacle course encourages movement with a goal in mind to accomplish. Lay pillows, blankets, and boxes that will encourage your child to crawl and explore. Stack cushions that will challenge them to climb over the “hills.”

  If they’re a little older, you can also give them balls and baskets or boxes to play with. They can try to toss it so that it goes into the basket or box.

  These are just few of the fun and exciting activities you can do. There are a lot of other activities you can try to help your child further develop their gross motor skills. 

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