Nursery World - Positive relationships: A parent's guide to ... Movement

Babies need to be given freedom to move so they can develop both their physical and mental skills.

Q. How do my child's early movements help her development?

Your baby starts moving in the womb and continues to wriggle and move after birth, from stretching movements to eventually crawling.

All these early movements, however slight, are helping to stimulate the brain and develop neural connections. These establish the foundations for important skills such as concentration, sitting still and ultimately fine motor skills - for example, holding a pencil and writing.

The first few months of a child's life are when the brain is best 'wired up'. If this opportunity is missed it can mean that there are gaps in the child's socio-emotional, cognitive and physical skills. They can develop the skills later, but it is not as easy.

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