Sensory Stimuli
During these periods, sensory stimuli become even more important. Your baby’s eyesight has developed. Now their eyes move together. He can turn his head purposefully in all directions and has started to follow the movements of objects with his eyes. Visibility also increases. For example, he can watch balls roll three meters away. He looks more carefully at objects at close range and stretches out his hands to hold objects within 15-30 cm. Our recommendation; put toys and materials far enough away from your baby that they can reach out (first 15 cm, then 20 cm, then 30 cm) so that they make an effort to reach them and accelerate motor muscle development. If your baby sees the object and wants you to take it by crying, but if it is in a place where he can reach it with a little effort, please let him try to pick it up himself. If you give your baby this chance, even if he cries at first, the joy he can reach will not only make him very happy, but also encourage him to feel confident and confident for the next time.
During this period, there is a rapid development in your baby’s sense of hearing and smell. Now, when he hears your voice, he can start looking directly at you and try to respond to you by moving.
Now your baby starts to use his whole hand while grasping with his palms.
Balls or objects of different textures (it is essential to be careful that they are healthy, do not pose a swallowing hazard, and that they are heavy, sharp, etc., and do not cause injuries as a result of impact, touch) can be supportive for both sensory and motor development of your baby. In this period, babies are interested in what the object is, not where it is. Different colors, shapes and textures will be of interest to him.
Fine motor skills are done with the coordination of smaller muscles. These movements are usually related to manual activities. They begin with striking movements made by the whole arm and grow more articulated. Fine motor muscles play a role in reaching and grasping movements.
Birth reflexive grasp
1-3 Front access
3 Voluntary grip (whole hand)
4-5 Reach and grip
6-7 Access and grip are more controlled
9 Pincer grip (thumb and index finger)
10 clapping hands
12-14 Dropping objects
18 Dropping controlled objects
Each of these steps is unprofessional at first; In the next periods, the ability to do it more accurately continues to develop by gaining speed according to the warnings in the environment and the chance of experience / repetition.
The acquisition of new motor skills changes the child’s view of the world, and the constant change of the environment contributes to his emotional and cognitive development. For example, a baby’s ability to use his hands freely will increase, and his field of vision will expand. Likewise, a child who can use his finger muscles better will be able to manipulate the materials around him more easily, and will be able to step into different experiences where he can test cause and effect relationships. Each new skill builds on previous skills, muscles grow stronger, and neural circuits become more coordinated. Success in work allows independence and contributes to self-confidence and self-esteem. The right stimuli in such critical periods create a multiplier effect and play a major role in rapid development and reaching your baby’s potential.