What Are Some Physical Development Activities For Infants?

Every parent wants the best for their kids, but most of them wait until they are at a certain age to encourage them. You do not have to wait since a child starts to learn and change from day one. Incorporating physical exercises into their daily routine will help promote healthy development. Continue reading to find out what these activities involve.

Activities That Stimulate Physical and Cognitive Development in Infants

• • Vision

Looking at your infant, you may think they do not see anything. This is not true since a newborn baby can see objects as far as 12 inches away. You can stimulate their vision by showing them brightly colored objects or pictures. Move the things or images back and forth across the face and watch the child track them.

Alternatively, hang a colorful or shiny mobile toy above their play mat or crib. They encourage focus and visual tracking. You can also shine a flashlight beam across the ceiling or wall in a darkened room. It helps your infant develop their graphic tracking skills.

• • Hearing

Have you noticed that your infant kicks their legs, flails their arms, or arches their back when they hear loud noises? You can stimulate your infant’s hearing by talking to them, reading aloud, and singing. When reading, imitate different sounds and voices to arouse the baby’s interest.

The child already recognizes your voice at birth. When you sing or talk to them, they will pay close attention and develop their hearing. They will respond with actions or cooing sounds whenever you speak or sing as they grow. Give the child rattles, bells, or other toys that make different noises and encourage them to produce sounds.

• • Touch

We marvel at infants’ soft skin and minor features and constantly touch them. Skin-to-skin contact shows affection, and it helps develop an infant’s touch. They will start recognizing objects by touching them.

Once the child can grasp objects, place differently shaped and textured things in their hands. They will feel and manipulate the objects. The physical and cognitive activities for infants allow them to understand textures of various things in their way.

• • Gross Motor Skills

You can help your child develop gross motor skills through activities that help them move various parts of the body. For example, as early as one month, you can help strengthen the child’s arm, neck, and back muscles through tummy time. Place them on their tummy on a soft blanket on the floor or flat surface for a few minutes each day. Increase the time as they grow.

Holding the infant to your chest and talking or singing to them will encourage the child to look up. In addition, the activity strengthens their upper body muscles. Activities like rolling over, reaching objects, and crawling also develop gross motor skills.

• • Strength

Infant needs to develop their strength. You can help the child by encouraging them to move their heads and pull themselves up. Development activities for infants include games and songs accompanied by actions. For example, they enable them to raise and clap their hands or move their feet.

• • Fine Motor Skills

These skills are developed by activities that help the infant hold and manipulate various objects. For example, a child grasps the parent’s finger then the feeding bottle. The infant will want to hold their spoon during feeding within some months.

You can help your child develop these skills by providing different-sized objects for playing. They will grab the small things with their whole hand. They later develop the skill to pick them with the thumb and forefinger.

• • Coordination

You can help develop a child’s coordination through fun and games. Development activities for infants to promote coordination involve hide and seek games. Stacking things, building blocks, and batting at toys also help. In addition, introduce them to toys with buttons that light up or create music when pressed.

Babies develop differently and progress to various milestones, each at their own time. However, if you are concerned about your infant’s development, it is good to seek a professional opinion. Contact us at MBS Kids Early Learning Academy for our infant-toddler programs. We work with parents to improve children’s physical and intellectual growth.