Games and Activities to Stimulate Mobility 7-12 months
Playtime tips and games to encourage movement and mobility.
In this six-month period your baby will become quite mobile, but don’t worry, less than half of babies are walking as the year ends. Most will be crawling and many of them will be able to pull themselves up on furniture.
Games
*Play, play, play*
Make the most of toys in her toy box to help keep her entertained and mobile. Toys that encourage her to bounce are great for strengthening the legs, walker or push alongs are good for children beginning to walk around the furniture.
*Come on baby!*
Encourage her to creep (and later crawl) by putting toys just out of reach.
Encourage her to pull herself up by putting toys into the arm-chair.
Encourage her to step out by pushing furniture close together
Let her take her weight on her legs and dance on your lap
*Crawling fun*
Chase her around the sofa (you can crawl too!)
Make a tunnel from some old boxes and let her crawl through.
Show her something – then put it across the room so she must crawl to reach it.
* Up and down*
She not only needs to pull herself up - she also needs to let herself down. Toys in the arm-chair will encourage her to pull herself up - toys in an adjoining chair (which she needs to crawl to) encourage her to pull herself up and sit down again.
*Walky walky!*
Once she is able to stand and support herself with minimum support, she will love having her hands held while she walks. Backbreaking for you- but huge fun for her!
*Dancing*
Once babies find their feet they will want to stand and bounce whenever they have an opportunity. Let her dance on your lap and/or jump her up and down and swing her in the air.
Games and Activities to stimlulate mobility 1–2 years
Most babies will start this year on their feet, even if they are not walking independently yet. They will finish this year confident walkers
Games
* Toy Box *
Walkers are great for this stage, she has all the strength in her legs, but doesn’t quite have the balance. From about 19 months, she’ll also enjoy pull along toys – ask her to take her pull along doggy for a walk!
* Baby’s crawling! *
When she is able to walk, crawling then becomes a fun activity. Play games of crawling around the furniture, up and down slopes and through tubes made from old boxes or tunnels.
* Puddle stamp *
A much-loved game for a really wet day. Just get out your waterproofs and wellies, find a puddle and stamp in it.
* Races *
Once she is moving with confidence she will enjoy a race. She doesn’t need anyone to race against, you just need to say the magic words READY STEADY GO!
* Let’s kick *
By the time she is two she will be able to kick and throw a ball - but only from a standing position and not with any great accuracy. Play kicking games in the garden.
* Move to the music *
Put on some great music and enjoy a dance together
Choose different styles of music. As you enjoy the different styles, encourage her to dance in different ways too.
At two she runs with flat feet and can’t yet take off from her toes. She can’t change speeds easily. She can just about jump off the ground and can comfortably manage a sit and ride. As the year progresses she’ll be able to walk along a log or wall, stand on one foot and use a slide by herself.
Games
* Toy Box *
Lots of toys are available to help encourage her movement and mobility. Pull alongs, push-alongs are great and many of you will have access to climbing frames or slides in the garden or at a local park.
* Don’t step on the cracks *
When you’re out and about, play a game of avoiding the cracks. She’ll be able to practice taking off as she jumps from safe spot to safe spot.
* Shadow tag *
This is a game of tag with a difference- you catch someone by stepping in their shadow. Chase games are good for her to practice stopping and starting, changing direction and learning to change speed quickly.
* Running in the wind *
Nothing quite excites little ones as much as running in a high wind. You can find an exposed spot and lean into the wind. Pretend it is blowing you both away or just run after flying leaves and bits of tissue paper.
By three his running is better, but he still has problems stopping and turning. By five these should be better. He can comfortably jump with both feet and can walk on tip toes. The best games to play between these ages encourage balance, dodging and jumping.
Outdoor Activities
*Skates* - amongst the very best balancing toys.
*Footballs* - to kick you have to balance on one foot - doing this on the run is too difficult, but he can stand and kick.
*Bikes* with stabilisers at first, but as he rides there will be times when he isn’t using them.
Games
* Jack be nimble *
Action rhymes are a great way of encouraging movement. In this popular classic he will be encouraged to practice jumping over small objects.
Jack be nimble jack be quick
Jack jump over the candle stick
(or anything else you can find that is less than about 4 inches high!)
Hopscotch
This playtime classic game has been around for generations. To play the traditional game she throws a stone to land in each square in turn and then hops out to collect it before returning to the start. She must not step in a box with a stone in it however. This can be quite complicated for this age, but she will enjoy hopping and jumping nonetheless.
* Simon says *
A classic, whatever Simon says you must do, but if he doesn’t say ’Simon Says’ you don’t do it! Use any actions that he needs to practice.
Simon says jump up and down
Simon says hop on one foot
Simon says jump forward
Simon says one knee on the floor
Simon says touch the ground Jump back
(do all the others - but not this one)
Tag
Over the next few years children must perfect dodging and changing direction on the run. These days such skills are the basis of most sports. A traditional game that practices this skill is simply tag. There are lots of variations – here are a few:
* Underground he * - If you are caught you stand legs apart - if someone crawls through you are freed.
* Stick in the mud * - If you are caught you must stay as still as a statue until someone frees you.
* Touch wood * - You are safe from being caught if you are touching wood.
* Three squats * - You are safe if you squat down - but you only have three chances to use this.
* Off the ground * - You are safe if you are off the ground - but you can only stay until you have counted to ten
Getting out and about is really good fun, but it also provides lots of opportunity for learning fun.
* Learning – letters, numbers and counting opportunities are everywhere!
* Social skills – opportunities to interact with other people and their world
* Language – shared experiences will give you lots to talk about for many days afterwards
Shopping
Use the opportunity for learning. Play counting games and practice social skills.
* Look for apples. What colour are they?
* How many sorts of cabbage?
* Look for the numbers of the shopping aisles.
* How many different sorts of tinned tomatoes?
* How many checkouts?
* How many times do you see F for Frankie?
* Let him buy a carton of milk from the corner shop (warn the shop keeper or make sure the shop is empty).
On the way home
* Count the buses.
* Post a letter
* How many animals can you see? Cats, dogs, squirrels, birds, bees, butterflies.
* Spell his name – look for the letters on road signs and cars.
Crossing the Road
Use the opportunity to learn a vital safety skill.
* Stop, look, listen, cross.
* Remember you set the example.
* Always use the crossings on major roads.
In the Park
* Discover colours *
Try to find flowers in all of the colours of the rainbow
* Under the bridge *
Shout under the bridge and listen for the echo. Even better with a tunnel.
Let him put his ear to the wall, and then whisper at the wall. Can he hear you?
Look for bird pooh. Is this where birds sleep at night?
* Make a bark rubbing *
Take some small pieces of paper and a crayon, put the paper against the bark of the tree and scotble over it with a crayon. You will get the pattern of the bark. This will not work with really rough bark.
* Make a bark impression *
Take some play dough or plastecine to make an impression of some bark
If you can’t name the tree, why not take a leaf home and look it up together in a nature book
You could create a nature shelf for him – store his different bark impressions and leaves here, to help him build up a collection.
*
Play & Learn activities reprinted from "Preschooler Play & Learn" with permission of its author, Penny Warner, and its publisher, Meadowbrook Press (2000.)
