After having suggested some early stimulation exercises to perform with your baby from 0 to 6 months, today we continue with the slightly older babies of between 6 and 12 months.
It is a stage of development in which the baby experiences great changes. Although not everyone does it, it will begin to crawl (if it has not done so before), to stand up, and some will probably begin to take their first steps. Autonomous displacement will open a world of possibilities and interesting things to discover. We suggest some early stimulation exercises to do with your baby to help you at this stage.
As we mentioned in the previous post, it is very important that you look for a time of day when the baby is calm and receptive, respecting their feeding and sleeping hours. You can start with five-minute sessions and increase the time. They should not last more than ten minutes.
It should also be noted that, although there is a generality in the stages of development, each child has their own maturation rhythm and we must respect it, without forcing them at any time or in a hurry to adopt skills for which they are not yet prepared.
6 to 9 months
From the age of six months, the baby will begin to sit each time keeping more balance. Therefore, it is important to perform exercises upside down to strengthen the neck and back muscles, which will also help stimulate crawling.
- Lying on your back, roll it on the bed or a carpet from one side to the other.
- Lying face down, place toys around you to try to reach them. Go changing your location. Balls with lights and sounds are ideal for this exercise.
- Lying on your stomach, place the baby in a crawling position and run a scarf or sheet under your belly and hold it with your hands. This will help you keep your balance and give you security until you learn alone.
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor and place your baby on your thighs. Play to swing it from side to side while holding it under the armpits.
- When you are able to stay seated, place your legs in a "V" shape and put toys between your legs so that you try to catch them with your hands.
9 to 12 months
- Lying face down, play to make the wheelbarrow holding the torso and walk with your hands.
- Sit him on a carpet and place toys around him in all directions. Put a box and teach him to take them and store them one by one inside the box mentioning each one.
- Put yourself in front of your baby and encourage her to imitate your facial expressions: close and open your eyes, blink, open and close your mouth, smile, stick out your tongue, make sounds ...
- Place a toy on a low table to try to stand up and catch it. If he is still standing, hold him by the hips so that he tries to reach him by taking his first steps.
- While standing on a piece of furniture, offer him a toy so that he has to free a hand to take it.
