A baby is still in the solitary stage of play during the ages from 6-12 months. Discovery continues to be their main goal. What’s this thing? –Try a little of this and try a little of that!

Yes, it may be called the solitary stage or sometimes the on-looker stage, but this does not mean it’s a stationary time. Nope, they’ve got a better understanding of their body and are ready to go. Just in a baby fashion mode. Rolling, sitting up, leads to crawling, all are building their strength for the grand finale–walking.

Crawling is an important milestone in a child’s development. There are variety of styles, the three most common ones are the belly crawl, the criss-cross crawl and the bear crawl. Belly crawling has their stomach touching the floor while their upper body muscles pull them along to their destination. Criss-cross crawling or the classic crawl occurs as a baby uses their arms and legs to work together without any tummy support. The bear crawl is similar to the criss-cross crawl except the weight is on hands and feet, no bending of knees and elbows.

Toys may be spread out on a blanket for the baby to choose from; however, an open-ended space translates to go and see what’s out there. A baby on the floor with no barriers —presents a perfect invitation to explore their surroundings. The experienced crawler wants nothing more than to expand their horizons. Things one once thought were not of interest, are now at the top of their list. Their mobility now leads to a few new problems: safety for them and protection of reachable items. It’s a child proofing time. Safety locks on cupboards, covering electrical plugs, moving plants and other measures are now required. The hunt for the unknown has become a part of what every playful learner is all about.

Sometimes parents wonder if it’s alright for a baby to skip the crawling stage and just move  into walking. If possible, encourage your baby to crawl since there are multiple benefits. Crawling not only helps build stronger strength needed for walking, but other major brain connections are begin made through crawling Leading to improving their balance, spatial awareness, sensory system, problem-solving and coordination & so much MORE!!.

A Better Kid Care article from Penn State Extension said, “Research shows a link between cognitive development and movement, meaning children need opportunities to move so they can learn. Rolling, crawling, walking, and jumping, along with a variety of other movement activities, build the brain during the first years of a child.” Brain cell connections are lost or pruned away as a result of limited activity or stimulation. Move it or lose it is true for both children and adults.

Additionally, there’s a strong connection between a baby’s language and motor development. Keep the conversation going during the day causing the baby brain to learn new vocabulary as they take on body building challenges. When observing the baby explain what he’s doing or what body parts are being challenged.. For example, one might say, “Look at how your legs are helping you to crawl. Strong legs take you where you want to go.” Or “How smart you are to discover that the small bowl fits inside the large pot.” Another day when bathing the baby one might say about their toys, “Here is the small duck. Let’s put it on the big boat.”  Communicating is important, using the same vocabulary each day when describing an action or item strengthens neuron pathways.. Consistency and patterns are the “big wants” of the learning brain.

TALKING Time pre-birth to one-year is the first section within the BLOG Posts on this website. Those posts do explain in detail about “parentese” and sever & return. Also, they present an abundance of activities to do with your playful learner.

Let’s revisit the two types of play. Guided play has parental interaction as part of a child’s playful learning development. Parents design meaningful learning activities that involve themselves and their baby or engage in unexpected playful learning experiences when they emerge. Free play is another important aspect of playful learning. There’s no direct parent interaction only monitoring the activity for safety. The playful learner is managing their own learning!.