If you got the timeline from the last post then you know that around 12 to 18 months, your child is developing the following gross and fine motor skills amongst others Gross: Freely walking and getting better Hopping Climbing Fine: Intentional release (of objects) mature pincer grasp Hands free to transform the Read more…
Recently I have wondered why this item is not listed as a material to support gross motor development. It is also not on any lists of what to buy in preparation for baby. Yet, it has definitely been one of our top three most used and most important items in supporting his development of gross motor movement in the last 7 months. What am I talking about? Wait for it…
I received this video today and had to share because it reinforces a lot of the things I have talked about here. It is 16 minutes long so I hope you watch it and we can dialog in the comments. Have a great week ahead! Live a GoodLife! TV and Read more…
I observed a two year old today (2yrs and 2 months to be exact). He was playing with some manipulatives in a corner of a public office. His mum, myself, other adults and another child about his age were present but everyone was doing their own thing.
He played for a while with the first set of manipulatives and as he played, a few pieces fell off the table but no one said anything. When he was done, he picked up the pieces on the table, put them back into the container and took the container back to the shelf. He had not picked up the pieces on the floor…
At the shelf, he struggled with putting the container back because it had these rails you have to match the containers to. He struggled for a while, but none of the adults tried to help. We (his mum and I at least) just watched him. He finally got it on the shelf but not in the “correct” way at least not the way the manufacturer intended.
He then took another container with a different but similar kind of manipulatives and went back to the table to play with them. Once again, he finished, packed up, and went through the same process of getting the container into the shelf… he struggled for a while but finally got it in his own way. As he walked back to the table, this time without any container, he realized some of the manipulatives were on the floor. He proceeded to pick them, separate them and put them into the right containers. When he was done, he moved on to play with the other child. It was awesome to watch!
What was so interesting about this episode or why am I even writing about it?
“Let us now turn to the child of two and his need to walk. It is natural for him to feel this need, for he has to prepare the future man, and must therefore build in himself all the essential human abilities. The child of two is well able to Read more…