Daily routines such as sleeping, eating and playing as well as interactions and responses by the caregiver affect a child’s gross motor development.
DAILY ROUTINES SUCH AS SLEEP, EAT AND PLAY, AS WELL AS INTERACTIONS AND RESPONSES BY CAREGIVER AFFECT A CHILD’S GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
In a descriptive developmental pilot study, results suggest that infant gross motor development may be related to the infants’ position during sleep and play.
They compared normative scores and sampled infants relative to sleep and awake positioning using the Denver II Gross Motor Sector. 66 infants at 2, 4 and 6 months of age were administered the Denver II Gross Motor Sector. Caregivers identified infants’ primary sleep positions and amount of awake time in prone. The sample of two-month-old supine (on their backs) and side sleeping infants differed significantly from the normative population on three gross motor milestones. 2-month-old infants spending 15 minutes or fewer of awake-time in prone position passed the gross motor milestones at significantly lower percentages than the normative population.
Newborns should be placed resting or sleeping or in supine position. The American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Infant Sleep Position and SIDS recommended that babies sleep on their backs to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) due to the high incidence of SIDS over the recent years.
Caregivers need to observe if babies are developmentally ready before implementing tummy time during the day. Babies need to spend some of their awake time or play time on their stomachs for healthy gross motor development. Tummy time strengthens neck and upper back muscles, which allow babies to hold up and turn their heads. Tummy time also gives babies a different view of the world.
For infants to enjoy tummy time, caregivers should interact and play with them using appropriate toys and sensory materials. Babies learn to communicate and gain language skills while developing their gross motor skills.
It is well accepted clinically that there is an interaction between an individual’s oral sensorimotor skills in feeding and their gross motor skills. Infants’ posture during feeding can impact how they swallow. Unhealthy postures may cause poor alignment or reduced stability for controlled oral movements as well as the influence of the neurological lesion on all motor skills.
Researchers also observed an association between gross motor function and nutritional status in a study which involved the largest sample of children with cerebral palsy reported in Colombia.
Parents or caregivers play an important role in a child’s motor skill development. Reflexes have survival value which enables caregivers to respond to newborn’s needs for safety and security. Reflexes also help caregivers and infants establish gratifying interaction. A baby who searches for and successfully finds the nipple, sucks easily during feedings.
Caregivers can also make use of reflexes in comforting the baby and in turn, the baby develops trust in the process. When preverbal babies feel safe and secure, they can shriek with joy when interacting in, for example, a safe play tunnel.
These interactions expand rapidly, and babies experience great joy in the interpersonal elements of their play, both indoors and outdoors. Such interactions lead to the development of trust, social competence, and gross motor skills.
Schaffer, H. R., & Emerson, P. E. (2008). The development of social attachments in infancy. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 29(3), 1–77.
and
secure attachment
Secure Attachment - The infants use the parent as a secure base. When separated, they may or may not cry, but if they do, it is because the parent is absent, and they prefer her to the stranger. When the parent returns, they actively seek contact, and their crying is reduced immediately.1
1. Berk, L. E. (2013). Child development (9th ed.). New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education.
are fundamental factors fostering infants’ growth and development. Brain development, especially in these youngest learners, depends upon responsive care in which adults recognise and respond to the needs of a particular child. Responsive caregivers build on three basic concepts: attention, approval, and attunement. These are concepts that are founded on understanding children’s needs, respecting children as individuals and unique learners, and being aware and reflective of interactions that lead to babies’ security, autonomy and competence.
Interpersonal activity emerges during the earliest expressions of play. The baby chuckles with delight while playing peek-a-boo with a parent or caregiver. Babies develop confidence and enthusiasm through play. Babies observation of others’ reading actions activates corresponding motor representations which develop their motor experience.
At 12 to 24 months, toddlers’ play is usually solitary. However, they also enjoy playing near other children. Their language growth through interaction with adults, enables them to use telegraphic language when requesting play items or interactions, e.g. “want ball” – a request to play outside.
Another way is to incorporate motor imitation into daily routines. A study found significant positive correlation between motor imitation and the social communication variable of language understanding.
Using a naturalistic home-based play context, results suggest that imitation in 15 to 18-month-old babies has a unique relationship to social communication that is specific to language understanding and separate from verbal expression or gesture. Besides developing the child’s gross motor development, imitation in daily routines helps with assessing and supporting prelinguistic development.
Simple, repetitive games and actions are fostering important foundational imitation and social communication behaviours.
For example, through the “your turn” technique, caregivers get the infant’s attention first by clapping, waving, bending index fingers, opening and closing hands, gently scratching on a tabletop with fingers, gently drumming hands on the tabletop, gently pulling an ear lobe or gently patting one’s cheek and then inviting the child to imitate the movement by saying, “Your turn!” Then, wait for the child’s response. The waiting component provides the child with the space to stop, think and act.
Engaging in music and movement activities is another way of promoting social interaction and gross motor development. In a study of 70 parents and caregivers and their babies between age 7-24 months, results showed that infants who attended the experimental music group engaged in more social behaviour during toy play with adults.
Nevertheless, caregivers need to be observant and sensitive to the changes in babies’ behaviour during their transition to the next developmental stage or milestone. During the walking transition, baby’s interactions with caregivers become more passive, particularly when sitting and standing, but they also engaged in greater gross motor activity while continuing to use squatting or kneeling postures for fine motor manipulations.
Caregivers can engage babies through motor sensory activities such as rolling or kicking a big squishy ball which requires them to move their bodies, arms and legs with coordination.
Skilled and responsive caregivers incorporate their background knowledge of children’s sensory capabilities into planning developmentally appropriate activities, the environment, and their own expectations and interactions with babies.4 Brain research in infants provides evidence that their brains become hardwired through interpersonal interactions with parents and others.
Ebbeck, M., Phoon, D., Tan-Chong, E., Tan, M., & Goh, M. (2015). A Research Study on Secure Attachment Using the Primary Caregiving Approach. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43(3), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0647-4
Mustard, J. F. (2002). Early Child Development and the Brain: The Base for Health, Learning, and Behaviour throughout Life. In Young, M. E. (Ed.), From Early Child Development to Human Development: Investing in Our Children’s Future (pp. 23–62). Washington, DC: World Bank.
Besides providing opportunities for gross motor development, all interactions and relationships should work towards helping children to build trust and confidence, support the development of secure relationships, a strong identity, and a positive sense of wellbeing.
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