BABY CURIOSITY AS MOTIVATION FOR MOVEMENT
In the photos above, seven month old Madison is captivated with my pearl necklace. She likes the shiny blue color, the bumpy texture of the strand, and she is determined to get it from me! I put her in a few different positons and she managed to grab it every time, even attempting to climb up my legs. Climbing was a new motor skill for her and her determination to grab the necklace motivated the new action. Yes, the passion for jewelry begins at a young age indeed!
Babies learn through exploration and play, not through structured goals and ambitions. Babies do not know they are learning to roll or sit until they find themselves, unexpectedly, rolling or standing. The satisfaction they feel with doing something new and interesting motivates them to see if they can repeat the activity again and soon it becomes a skill repeated often. When teaching your baby motor skills remember to capture her curiosity. By strategically placing intriguing objects a bit away from baby, she may discover how to roll to one side, lift her head to see an object when she is on her tummy, cruise a few steps sideways from her standing position, or crawl a few paces forward.
BABY CURIOSITY AND NOVELTY
Babies enjoy discovering new and unfamiliar objects through touching and observing them. They often notice new objects immediately, whether it is a piece of jewelry you are wearing or a cup left on the table from the cupboard. If you have earrings on today that you did not wear yesterday, watch out! The tiny hands hands will grab them soon. These are small changes in their close environment that they observe and to which they react by reaching out to touch them. Once they have it in their hand they try and shake it and eventually put it in their mouth.
BABY CURIOSITY AND THE FIVE SENSES
In addition to being novel, objects which intrigue babies are usually ones which stimulate one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. For example, a ball that is extra sparkly stimulates their vision because it is much more glittery than most objects in baby’s everyday surroundings. A rattle with a bell inside makes a sound that baby does not usually hear and she wants to see it, touch it, and taste it. She wants to know what is making that pretty sound!
MOTOR SKILL TIPS
Take a toy and move it off to one side as she is lying on her back. She will turn her head, and possibly discover how to roll onto her side, just so she can play with it. It is important to show her the toy first and shake it or show off the most interesting feature so she will want it. Then set it to the side so her desire to grab it will motivate her rolling onto her side. If baby is standing at a low table, take a piece of brightly colored and crumpled tissue paper and place it a few inches away from her while making a crumpling sound with it. Soon she will take a few steps to it just so she can try to make the sound herself. If baby is new to tummy time and not yet lifting her head, a bell sound may intrigue her enough to lift up her head to see what is making the sound.