Activities with infants cause confusion among many parents: “The baby is only a couple of weeks old, what kind of activities can there be? The main thing is that the child grows normally, does not get sick, gains weight, and you can start exercising later.” However, it has long been proven that the period from the birth of a child to three years is the most favorable for the perception of information, and the richer and more varied the information offered to the baby, the subsequently higher the level of his abilities.
Psychological and pedagogical research also testifies to the great potential of newborns. Experts believe that if you deal with a baby specifically, he will develop noticeably ahead of schedule. Observations also show that intellectual abilities higher in those children who from the first days swam, did gymnastics, moved freely, and learned about the world around them.
Therefore, the first stage in the formation of abilities is active physical development of the baby. In the first weeks of a child’s life, the main attention should be paid to his physical activity during bedtime. During this period, the child sleeps almost all the time. However, nature cannot allow such idleness. And so a long exhalation phase is periodically woven into the breathing of a sleeping baby. Oxygen deficiency occurs, a kind of trigger for motor activity. A reflexive tremor occurs. As a result, a sleeping child spends 50–60 percent of his time actually moving. Tightly swaddling your baby during sleep prevents this movement.
Some tips: how to increase a baby’s motor activity
The fact is that a newborn perceives most of the information through the skin, taste and movement. The more you touch his body, stroke him, do a light massage, and also, the more often and more varied you do various exercises with him, moving his arms, legs, picking him up, applying him to your body, the more information the child will receive from the world. Such interaction directly develops the child’s intelligence. A newborn is believed to have many abilities. Our task is so that he does not lose them, so that he does not forget, so that we do not suppress them. Gymnastics, massage, stroking, as well as early classes swimming helps this. Through skin and movement you develop your baby.
There are special classes in dynamic gymnastics and swimming that make sense to do. Your newborn can already do a lot. Look, in addition to breathing, sucking and excretory reflexes, a newborn has a breath-holding reflex. Since your baby lived and developed in water for 9 months, he simply can't drown. When diving headfirst into water, the baby automatically holds his breath and does not begin to breathe until he emerges. Moreover, he is able to hold his breath without difficulty for more than a minute! Where can we get to him? I just want to pay attention to the water temperature. In our opinion, it should not exceed 32 - 34 degrees even during the first swims, since warmer water reduces muscle tone and inhibits the mechanisms of motor activity.
That's not all. Our baby can walk! He has a walking reflex. If the child is supported in an upright position (it is important to support his head, since he still does not hold it himself, and the head is born heavy) so that his heels and feet touch the surface, the baby takes steps on his own. This exercise is very useful and helps him learn to walk faster. In fact, he only needs to learn to control his center of gravity, since in his previous life the conditions of gravity were different.
Newborn can crawl! And if you don't swaddle him, make sure he doesn't crawl over the edge of the bed. Babies crawl backwards.
The newborn has developed grasp reflex. If we put our index fingers into his palms, he will immediately squeeze them and hold on so tenaciously for a long time that he can be smoothly lifted so that he hangs in the air and even swayed. The baby will hold on like a little monkey. This is also a great exercise that children love.
The most tangible stimulus for a baby's muscle activity is the difference in temperature between his body and the environment. The greater this difference, the more active the muscle tone that provides normal development. Of course, the temperature difference should be limited within the framework of physiological, adaptive, stress. Every mother, having unswaddled her child, feels the tension of his muscles under her hand. As soon as the tension has subsided, the air bath should be stopped. It is muscle tone that regulates the duration hardening procedures. At first, in a physiologically immature child, this period does not exceed 5–10 seconds; in a mature child, it sometimes reaches 60 seconds.
All motor activity the child should not be carried out under coercion, but due to interest in this activity. In the first weeks of life, such interest is stimulated by motor reflexes caused by irritation of the soles, heels, fingers, and palms. It is important from the first weeks of life to promote the free development of the baby’s abilities, helping him to independently demonstrate his activity. Reflexes fade away after three weeks if the baby lies swaddled motionless and is treated like a doll. Then all the baby’s skills and abilities turn out to be unclaimed, he gets the first experience that what he has is not needed by the world - a very bitter experience that mature age turns into apathy and fatigue from life.
With physical intellectual development inextricably linked aesthetic development, which includes awakening interest in music, literature, and painting. The baby intensively absorbs sounds and colors, and subtly perceives the emotional coloring of works, which is easy to determine by his reaction. “Classes” in this direction can also be started from birth.
A newborn baby perceives the world differently than we see it. It is known that the baby’s vision is still very imperfect; he can only distinguish bright, contrasting large objects that are in close proximity to him (25-30 cm). Therefore, from birth, the most interesting object for a baby to look at is the mother’s face. The baby sees how his mother smiles, talks, how her lips move; mother’s face always brings joy and calmness. It either bends over the baby or moves away from him, which gives the baby various emotions.
To help the baby develop vision, already at the age of 7-10 days you can offer black and white abstract pictures. The black and white coloring of the first pictures was chosen because the combination of black and white flowers most contrasting. After 2-3 days, after the baby loses interest in it, change it. basis cognitive development The baby is a reaction to novelty. Give free rein to your imagination, because the pictures are not at all difficult to make yourself! For example, in the Word program, find special characters: spiral, circles, concentric... Make it in the largest font, print on A4 - one character (picture) - per sheet and you're done!
By 3 weeks, the baby already begins to distinguish colors and can focus his gaze on a stationary bright object. Such an item could be, for example, a cube you made, which will help develop ability to focus the gaze. We recommend printing it out, cutting it out and gluing it together – basically, it’s simple! The cube can be hung above the baby's crib at a distance of 25-30 cm from the eyes. From time to time, draw the baby's attention to it by moving or moving it.
From 2 months the pictures can become more complex. At this age, the baby begins to distinguish not only colors, but also shapes. Therefore, offer him pictures that are the same in shape and size, but different in color, and, conversely, pictures of the same color, but different in content.
It is necessary to make fuller use of children's ability to perceive information through play. Children play with everything around them. The world for them is a game, which they subject to their own rules, and the game is their world. This means that from birth the baby toys needed, but you always need to remember about their safety, your favorite “hugs”, the abundance of fabric of which allows you to “soak them with mother” and sleep safely (first the mother wears them on herself, then gives them to the child). The mother's scent soothes and pleases the baby.
Preparing for independent actions occurs in two directions: on the one hand, the child begins to feel his actions and their results, and on the other, sensorimotor coordination develops, i.e. consistency of perception and action. The feeling of one's movement develops in the first months of life, thanks to the constant collision of the baby's arms and legs with surrounding objects. Adults can help the baby by enhancing the sound or visual effect of his movements. For example, a small bell or bell can be sewn to a special cuff (made of soft fabric or knitwear), which is placed on the child’s arm or leg. This will help the baby master his movements and produce melodic sounds himself.
Later, the baby will learn to independently control the bells and will “ring” on his own, which will bring him great pleasure. A balloon with light gas tied to his arm or leg makes a very big impression on the baby. The baby will willingly move and watch with delight the movements of the ball. All these simple activities are very useful in the first half of the year, as they teach you how to control your movements and control your body.
From the age of 3 months you can teach your baby independently grasp and hold objects.
Looking at a human face can also be turned into a developing activity! Make a face with your baby, put on glasses, make a funny face, tie a bow on your head. Take your baby to the mirror. He still doesn’t recognize himself, of course, but he will look very carefully. Show him where mom’s nose is, where her eyes are (etc.) and look for all this in the baby.
However, the question arises: is it worth rushing? Let's turn to the opinion of scientists. Swedish neuroscientist Holger Heeden, after conducting experiments at the molecular level, came to the conclusion that “the brain requires not only adequate nutrition, but also stimulation for its full development, especially in the early stages. Neurons deprived of any of these factors, especially the learning environment, will eventually atrophy.” A similar conclusion was made by B.P. Nikitin based on an analysis of his experience working with children. He called this phenomenon NUWERS - irreversible! fading opportunities effective development abilities. So, it is important to begin the formation and development of the child’s abilities as early as possible
The child already knows your facial features well. Choose a few different hats, scarves and/or ribbons. Change hats several times, demonstrating small changes. The next time you change your appearance, allow your child to look at you carefully, record the changes, and observe your movements. The game develops attention and imagination.
Games and exercises for the development of the child’s sensorimotor sphere
The exercises are aimed at developing auditory, visual activity, and motor abilities.
The purpose of such exercises is to develop the baby’s coordination of movements, ideas about the size, shape, color of various objects, and increase his motor activity.
Exercises to develop visual and auditory perception (for a child older than 7-10 days)
Bring any simple toy to the child at arm's length, holding it at a distance of 60-70 cm from the baby's face. Soon his gaze will linger on the object, after which you begin to slowly move the toy in different directions.
Engage with your child when he is awake and calm. Nothing should bother him. The process of classes itself should take place in a relaxed atmosphere and must evoke a positive response from the child.
When performing movements of small amplitude, it is necessary to ensure that the baby’s gaze follows the object. You can also bring your hand closer to a distance of 20-30 cm or remove it 1.5 m from the child’s face.
The exercise lasts 1-2 minutes. Do it no more than 2 times in a row and no more than 2 times a day.
Hearing exercise
To perform this exercise, you need to choose a toy that makes some sounds (a bell, a rattle), but not loud ones. Ring the bell lightly, moving your hand alternately in opposite directions at a distance of 60-70 cm from the child’s face. At the same time, pause each time, giving the child the opportunity to listen to the fading sound. The child will look with his eyes for an object making sounds.
At the age of 2-3 months, it is necessary to introduce exercises into daily activities with the child to develop the ability to maintain attention on moving and stationary objects, trying to increase the duration of their attention.
Over time, you can increase the range of movements, giving the baby the opportunity to turn his head towards the ringing bell and look for it with his eyes.
The exercise is carried out in the second and third months of the baby’s life 1-2 times a week.
Exercise for the development of sensorimotor and speech activity of a child
For this exercise, it is best to use some bright object that attracts the baby’s attention (a ball, a bow, etc.). Move it to different sides while talking to the child. For example, you can turn to him with the question “Where is the ball? But look where he is!”
By this age, you can more often use toys that make different sounds (for example, a bell), which will especially attract the child’s attention. While actively moving the toy in different directions, constantly ask your baby: “Where is it ringing now?” - and answer: “Right here now.”
During the game, the object can be brought closer to the child so that he can touch it. Thus, he develops a grasping reflex. Make sure that the child sees the object completely and fixes his gaze on it. It is better to use toys that are different in shape and at the same time comfortable to grasp.
In order to understand how best to develop your baby, you need to have information about what skills the child already has.
The article describes what the baby already knows and what he is learning, and how to facilitate and stimulate the learning process.
Child development 0-3 months
At this tender age, it makes sense to consider the child’s “skills” by month, since during these first months, the child acquires a lot of skills.
Baby 0-1 month
- The child has clearly demonstrated the main ones: plantar, sucking, grasping, etc. Some reflexes will mutate and develop into other skills, and some reflexes will fade away. Read more about this in the article Reflexes of newborns.
- The child can keep one stationary object in his field of vision, directly in front of him.
- Hears and reacts to a sudden loud sound, and reflexively flinches (sometimes with arms outstretched).
Baby 1-2 months old
- The child’s motor skills develop, and little by little the hands begin to unclench. The child's movements become less chaotic. The baby can already sometimes grab (accidentally) an object located near him.
- It distinguishes shapes and colors better, and focuses the gaze better.
- Hearing improves; in addition to loud and sharp sounds, the baby begins to hear ordinary sounds, but not yet fully.
- Holds his head when you hold him in your arms.
Baby 2-3 months old
Can hold the head in a supine position (several seconds).
Vision and hearing have already fully developed. The baby recognizes familiar faces and familiar voices.
How to develop a baby 0-3 months
At this wonderful, tender age, the following is required from caring parents.
- Carry the baby more in your arms or in. A child who is held and carried begins to hold his head up faster and generally grows faster. Don't wait for the baby to call you by screaming and... Take him in your arms “just like that” and more often.
- . This is not just food, it is information about the world, communication and real development. At the age of 1-3 months, breastfeeding is a way to show the baby that he is loved. By the way, the same applies to carrying it on your hands. Feed on demand. This instills in the child a feeling of basic trust in the world, that the world literally “hears him and answers his requests.” For now, you are the whole world for a child.
- in an adult bathroom, teach early. Don’t just “soak” the baby, but do it with benefit :). It’s great if you can swim with your baby. This includes swimming, socializing, and exercise.
- . If for some reason you don’t want or can’t sleep at night, then sleep during the day.
- Be supportive enough with your baby. If a child is physically “not enough of you,” then there is no talk of any development.
- Take a walk in the fresh air. You can walk while carrying your baby in a sling, this is both a walk and... It is also possible in .
- Talk to your child. This is the primary activity for the baby himself. Tell him what you are doing, tell him how much you love him, talk through everything you are doing or going to do. Speak in a “free mode” - if you want, recite poetry, if you want to sing, or just communicate (you asked yourself, you answered). Don't force yourself to "speak on a given topic." The more natural your communication with your baby, the better.
- Dance with your baby in your arms. This is possible for a very short time, since the baby is growing every day. The benefits of this activity cannot be exaggerated. The child is next to the mother, you move together in rhythm - this is real development.
Note. Opinions often differ about whether to “babble” with a child or not. We will present the opinion of our experts. If “lisp” means “distort words”, then you don’t need to do that. No need to say: where is our little guy? who made a noise? and the like:). And if “lisp” means affectionate, gentle intonation and a specific timbre of the voice, then it is possible and very necessary.
Important! It seems that there is nothing “specifically developing” in the activities listed above. This is wrong. This is the base without which, even if you cover your baby with pictures, even play classics for him from birth, or read Pushkin for days on end, or do anything - but the most important thing is not given. Therefore, everything listed above is the real foundation of development. And this is exactly how you need to treat it. You are not “accustoming the child to your hands” and not “feeding at the first squeak”, but showing your child your love and truly developing him. This is much more important than moving some object in front of the child, focusing his gaze, or endlessly putting it in his hand.
Additional development options
- Do gymnastics with your baby, see the article for details. Stroke the child, do it to him.
Note. Both during gymnastics and during a massage, be sure to say what is comfortable for you. These could be rhythmic poems, nursery rhymes, simply saying what you are doing, what parts of the body you are touching, etc.
- Focusing your gaze. To do this, you can use any available means, even your face. It is advisable, of course, to have a contrasting item (two colors, dark and light). The object must be placed at a distance of 30 cm from the baby’s face, wait until he focuses his gaze on it, and slowly move the object left and right, making sure that the baby does not lose sight of it. This exercise should be performed for no more than a couple of minutes.
Note. Instead of an object, you can also use a human face drawn on a balloon. Children at this age love to look at faces.
- Focusing hearing. Just like our eyesight, we train our hearing. Rustle, crackle, ring (only all in turn, not all at once) at a distance from the child. He will turn his head and look for the source of the sound.
- You can put a small object in the child’s hand, such as a small ring or rattle. The baby does not yet know how to clench and unclench his fists on his own, so he will simply clasp his palm and hold the object.
- Any games with fingers, stroking, smoothing, with or without nursery rhymes, as convenient, are useful.
Note. All activities written in the “additional” section are about 10-20 (maximum) minutes a day. The main thing is what is higher (GV, carrying on hands, tactile contact, etc.).
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Have fun!
A healthy baby has many innate reflexes that help it survive. On the basis of these reflexes, massage and special gymnastics are built, which deserve a separate discussion. In the meantime, you can practice reflex walking and crawling.
If you place your palm under the heels of a tiny baby lying on his stomach, he will rest his feet on it and, straightening his legs, crawl forward a little.
We are watching
What toys might be needed at this age? Practice shows that a large tumbler doll enjoys constant success among children of many generations. They are attracted by her bright, rich color, expressive face and gentle, melodic ringing. Place the tumbler in the crib and show your baby how to move the toy to make it sound. Then, when your baby is 3-4 months old, tie a ribbon to the tumbler and teach him to control the toy using the ribbon. By the way, this is not just fun - in this way the baby learns to trace cause-and-effect relationships between action and result.
“Quite by accident, I invented an amazing toy for my two-month-old Sanya. One day we were given a shiny balloon inflated with helium. At first the ball simply flew under the ceiling, and Sanya, forgetting about everything in the world, closely watched it. Then I tied the ribbon from the ball to the baby’s hand, and there was simply no limit to the delight, because you could pull the ribbon and the ball instantly “responded” and jumped under the ceiling. Then we tied the ball to the leg in the same way. “The “magic ball” has helped us out more than once when Sanya needed to be distracted and given, for example, medicine or simply occupied for quite a long time.”
In general, try to ensure that at this age the child is surrounded by bright, monochromatic toys, but they should not clutter up the entire space. Show objects one at a time so that your baby's attention does not wander, and do not forget to clearly name them.
Babies also love mobile phones, which have been very popular with us lately. Mobiles are lightweight suspended structures, carefully balanced and moving with the slightest breeze. Is it worth it, you might say, to design mobiles if the market is now full of all kinds of musical carousels with clowns, fish and everything your heart desires? Firstly, the carousel needs to be constantly started, and the mobile is a kind of perpetual motion machine that does not require your constant presence. Secondly, the figures on the mobiles can be easily changed. And there is truly no limit to the variety of mobiles! They are made from paper, cardboard, fabric, pieces of wire, plastic, felt, natural materials etc. By the way, older children can also take part in their production.
Such toys develop the baby’s vision, help him focus his eyes, follow moving objects, and distinguish colors.
“At this age, a chaise lounge chair served us well (it is suitable for babies from birth). The chair could be carried by the arms throughout the apartment, but our kitchen was unrivaled - there were so many interesting things there and my mother was always clearly visible!”
“We really like the developmental rug with a horizontal bar on which toys are attached (the horizontal bar is detachable from the rug), sometimes we put the child on the rug - then he knocks with his foot or hand on different “rustles” and has fun (we are 3 months old).”
A human face is very attractive to a baby at this age. You can hang some funny face above the crib or attach photographs of family members. When you hold the baby in your arms facing you, try to make a face (stick out your tongue, open and close your eyes, make funny faces). The baby will really appreciate your acting skills, and after very little time has passed, he will try to imitate you.
Developing the sense of touch
Try to develop your child's tactile sensitivity - this is very useful for the development of fine motor skills. Let your child touch a wide variety of materials, clearly naming them - this is mother's silk blouse, and this is a rough brick wall. Let your baby get more than just standard plastic rattles! You can touch (by the way, not only with your hands, but also with your legs!) a tree trunk, a polished desk, various fabrics - from delicate chiffon or smooth satin to rough matting, velvety velor. From fabrics of various textures you can sew a whole patchwork blanket or a soft cube. For a variety of tactile sensations, you can sew buttons, beads, or make voluminous applications from other fabrics.
Kids love it very much and homemade rattles. The principle of their manufacture is very simple. First you need to find a suitable small hollow plastic case (this could be a cap from a felt-tip pen, a Kinder Surprise box, small medicine bottles or cream jars, film cases, etc.). We fill our container with some rattling or rustling filling (various cereals, beads, plastic balls, etc. will do), and now we cover the future rattle with a piece of fabric and sew it up tightly.
Another option is not to cover the container with fabric, but to crochet it using yarn different colors and textures. It is desirable that the color and sound be in some correspondence with each other: for example, if the container is filled with ringing coins or metal clips, let the lining be bright, and if the rattle quietly rustles with rice, “clothing” in pale, pastel colors will be more suitable for it. You can sew ribbons or loops onto the rattle for hanging.
Tactile sensitivity also develops during massage, especially if you do not limit yourself to traditional stroking and rubbing, but use various materials for massage - easily stroke the delicate body with a feather or fluffy fur, pat it with a thick sponge, roll it with a massage rubber hedgehog with “needles.” For the child, these will be new sensations from touching things, which in turn develops activity and a desire for new experiences.
And in the spring you can go outside and watch the buds bloom. The baby will stroke them with his tiny fingers and rub the sticky leaves that have just appeared. Probably, this is not only the development of fine motor skills, it is also a touch to a new life.
Let's listen
Now it’s no secret that a baby’s hearing develops while he’s still in his mother’s belly. To stimulate further hearing development, accustom your child to various sound contrasts. For example, you can first ring a small bell, and then a larger bell. In the kitchen, show what sound you will get if you tap a crystal glass with a spoon (just not too hard), a large saucepan, a table, etc. ( resourceful parent will always find something else to knock on). Try playing with different sounds without your baby seeing where they come from. He will listen and try to find the source of the sound.
On the street, you can draw your baby’s attention to the voices of birds, the dull rumbling of cars, or the piercing sound of a siren - all this will enrich his baggage of auditory impressions. It’s great if you have the opportunity to listen to the living voices of animals or birds. By the way, in the old days, nannies carried crying babies to the chicken coop. The chickens created a terrible commotion at the sight of the little screaming stranger, and their clucking and flapping of their wings miraculously calmed the most inconsolable crying. If for some reason you don’t want to cackle at your child, you can try listening to some not very loud monotonous sound with him (for example, the noise of a working vacuum cleaner or washing machine).
Don't forget about the music, and let it also be quite diverse. Most babies love classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky). You can listen to male and female voices in excerpts from operas (preferably, without intense passions, so that the baby is not scared).
Surprisingly, a child at the age of one month reacts differently to the sounds of a cheerful and sad melody: with a sad one, he calms down, and with a cheerful one he perks up, starting to joyfully wave his arms and legs - “dance”. In this way, auditory and motor activity develops, and the baby learns to coordinate the movements of his body.
In the first three months of life, a child perceives the surrounding reality much more intensely than is commonly believed. And therefore let his first impressions be the most varied and interesting!
Inessa Smyk
Massage and gymnastics
Infancy- not a hindrance to starting massage and gymnastics classes. Massage is passive gymnastics, a system of dosed mechanical effects on muscles and muscles. During the massage, the muscles are brought into a state as if they had worked hard. Thus, massage of the abdominal muscles activates the activity of its smooth muscles, that is, intestinal motility.
It is advisable that classes be held at the same time. "Time" in in this case- not a specific hour, but a specific sequence of actions. For comfort, a baby needs predictability of events, when he knows when and what to expect. Therefore, you can exercise before bathing, after a nap, before a walk - when it is convenient for both you and your child. Gymnastics and massage should not be done immediately after eating, swimming or sleeping at night. It is important that the baby is motivated to study. If he is tired, hungry or simply not in the mood, postpone the activity.
It is best to carry out massage and gymnastics in a ventilated room with an air temperature of 22 to 25 ° C. Place a flannelette blanket on any hard surface, and on top of it an oilcloth and a sheet. The first massage sessions should last no longer than 2 minutes. Gradually, the duration of the massage can be increased to 10 minutes a day, and by 1 year - up to 15 minutes.
Under no circumstances should you have a massage if:
- the child is sick;
— the baby’s temperature is above 37.5 °C;
- the child has a diathesis rash, pustular or inflammatory skin diseases;
— a diagnosis of heart disease was made.
Massage can be done every other day, and gymnastic exercises should be performed daily. It is advisable to accompany all your actions with verbal explanations - name those parts of the body that you touch, invent funny songs and rhymes for certain movements. It is very important not to forget to praise your baby during lessons - this will encourage him to do everything you ask him to do. While doing massage and gymnastics with your child, you will notice how he himself strives to repeat what you just did with him, rejoices at the “game” that you offered him.
The development of a child's fine motor skills largely depends on good development arm muscles and finger flexibility.
Hand massage for children from birth to 1.5 months
- Take your baby's right hand, gently stroke it from the wrist to the forearm and shoulder, going around the elbow, and then to armpit. The flexor muscles at this age are still very tense, so do not try to forcefully straighten your arm so as not to cause pain to the baby. Repeat the same movements with the child's left hand.
- Take the child’s fist in your hand and open it. Straighten your fingers, stroke each of them on the sides, from the palm to the tips, lightly press on each nail, lightly massage the fingertips.
Massage and hand exercises for children from 1.5 to 3 months
The baby is only a month and a half old, but he has changed so noticeably: the flexor muscles are less tense, new movements and skills have appeared.
- Place the child on his back and massage your hands in the same way as you did before, with the only difference that your “weightless” stroking movements should become more noticeable.
- Take your baby’s hand, clasp the wrist with your thumb and forefinger and rub in the same direction as when stroking, that is, up the hand.
- Take the child’s hands in your hands and shake them lightly, then spread his arms to the sides and move them as if a bird was flapping its wings. This exercise relaxes the baby's arm muscles well.
— Place yours in the child’s hands thumbs- He will immediately reflexively clench his fists. With the rest of your fingers, clasp his fingers and stretch (raise) his right hand up, and lower his left hand down, then change their position. Repeat the exercise 3-4 times.
- Spread your baby's arms to the sides, place them on the table, then cross them over his chest and spread them to the sides again. Repeat the exercise 3-4 times.
- Take the child’s hand with one hand, placing your thumb in his fist. Move your hand to the side, place it on the table, pressing the child's shoulder to the table with your other hand. Bend and straighten your arm at the elbow 3-4 times. Repeat this exercise with the other hand.
— Take the baby’s hand by the forearm and easily turn the palm first to the left, then to the right, then straighten and bend the hand at the wrist joint. Do this exercise with the other hand.
Interest in the world around you
From birth, the baby enters the objective world. To enter this world, you must learn to cognize it, perceive it correctly, and act with objects. Cognitive activity The baby begins at about 2 months, when he focuses his gaze on the object of attention and still makes random movements with his arms.
At the age of up to 3 months, such important abilities as visual tracking and examination, auditory attention, and skin sensitivity develop. It is no secret that inquisitive people have great knowledge. Therefore, the first thing we must do as soon as we have a child is to stimulate his activity in every possible way, not only physical, but also cognitive. A newborn is interested in everything, but first of all, those who surround him.
- Remember with what pleasure you made different grimaces as a child. Make a funny face for your child and look at him, smiling. He may simply smile back or try to copy your grimace. Stick out your tongue, raise your eyebrows, wrinkle your nose - in short, play with your face. The child will watch without stopping. Move away for a minute so that your baby can't see your face. If the game does not tire him, you will see how he will start looking for you. Then continue the game until he gets bored.
- Babies really like it when their body and arms are stroked by some soft toy. It's even better if this toy makes some sounds. It could be a soft dog that barks when you press on its tummy, or a bunny that squeaks when you squeeze it. Perhaps this is a doll that can say: “Mom!” Stroke and tickle your child with a toy, and then hide it behind your back. If your child starts to get restless and look for a toy, continue playing.
“Children quickly begin to study their hands: they bring their palms closer to their faces and move their fingers. You can help your child by playing with his hands. Bring the child’s hands to your lips, blow on them, kiss them, move his fingers, saying something tender and affectionate. Then release your hands and turn away slightly, looking at the child from time to time, so that he notices it. If he tries to get your attention again, continue the game.
Observation- another necessary quality that needs to be developed from a very tender age. The child acquires knowledge about the world around him by observing everything that happens around him. To develop the innate tendency to observe, you need to make sure that the environment is interesting for the child and attracts his attention. A child in this regard is not much different from us: having boarded the train, we begin to look out the window with interest, but if the landscape is monotonous and boring, our attention quickly switches to something more interesting. If there is nothing interesting, we will most likely prefer to sleep the entire way.
Until 3 months, the baby spends most of his time in his crib. How to make his world interesting? The best remedy for this purpose - a hanging mobile.
— The mobile can be hung on a cord (this is especially convenient on a crib with a canopy) or mounted on a bracket. You don’t have to buy a mobile; you can make it from an ordinary hanger by hanging toys, balls or ribbons from it. It should hang so that the child can look at objects, but not reach them.
- Be sure to walk around the apartment with your baby, put him on the sofa, on the chair, on the floor. In this way, you change the child’s field of vision, which means you train his coordination in space and sense of balance, and give you the opportunity to formulate your impressions of the house.
- Such, it would seem, simple toy, like a rattle, promotes the development of hearing, attention, and coordination of movements. By 3 months (and often even earlier), the child already turns his head in the direction from which the sound is coming. The baby responds well to sounds at a distance of no more than one and a half meters. Take a bright rattle and shake it to your baby's right. He will turn his head in the direction where the sound is coming from. Praise the smart girl. Rattle the toy on the left. The baby will look in this direction with interest. Draw attention to yourself with a rattle.
— Let the child touch the rattle. The surface of the toy should be smooth. The rattle should be bright, easy to grip, safe and sound pleasant. Remember that sounds that are too loud can frighten your child.
- Ring the bell near the baby so that the sound comes from the right, left, above, behind, etc.
- Tie a balloon to the baby's hand with a ribbon so that the child can observe its movement and, therefore, coordinate the movements of his eyes and hands. Just be careful and careful so that the ball does not burst and scare the baby.
Other exercises will also be useful and enjoyable for the baby.
Come on, pull yourself up!
Healthy newborns up to 2 months have a grasping reflex, which can be used for play and physical training of the baby.
Insert your index fingers into your baby's arms and raise your arms slightly. The baby will reach for your hands and rise slightly. After 1-2 seconds, lower the baby so that he can rest, then lift him up again.
Now insert your thumbs into the child’s clenched fists. Gently pull it towards you until the baby “sits down”.
Help your baby grab a wooden stick, plastic or wooden ring and gently lift it up.
As soon as the baby's arms begin to weaken, you need to carefully put him down. By the age of two months, he will already be able to stand up, holding on to your fingers.
The game develops fine motor skills, strengthens muscles, improves coordination.
Our little hands
Carefully, gently stroke your baby's right arm from the wrist to the shoulder, around the elbow, and then to the armpit. Repeat the same steps with the left handle.
Taking the child's fist in your hand, open it, stroke your palm, and straighten your fingers. Stroke each finger, starting from the base, and at the end of the massage, lightly press the nail.
The game is necessary for physical development, hardening, strengthening the emotional connection between mother and child.
Our fingers
Sing a nursery rhyme while fingering your children’s fingers:
The white-sided magpie cooked porridge,
She fed the children.
Gave this one
Gave this one
Gave this one
Gave this one
But she didn’t give it to this:
- You didn’t carry water,
I didn’t chop wood
I didn’t cook porridge -
I won't give you anything!
Lightly stroke your baby's palm, gently pressing on the base of the fingers.
The game develops fine motor skills, hearing, and memory.
