When a child starts holding a toy: developmental norms by months, manifestation of new skills, exercises

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The first year of a baby's life is considered one of the most active periods when he develops at a tremendous speed: he learns to hold his head, walk, roll over, hold objects in his hands, crawl, sit, walk and even talk. Every day the baby becomes more mature and more interesting, parents need to give their child as much time and attention as possible so as not to miss important moments of his development. One of the first skills a baby learns is the grasping reflex. The newborn is not yet able to control his movements, but already in the third week he willingly follows bright objects with his eyes. And closer to two months, the baby is characterized by waving arms and legs, a little later he is able to consciously take and hold objects in his hands. You need to know when a child starts holding a toy and how to help him in this difficult matter.

Baby development from 1 to 3 months

During this time, the baby got a little stronger and gained weight. Already at two months, the baby can briefly raise and hold his head, distinguish colors, examine surrounding objects, recognize mom and dad, and also walk.

Many parents are interested in the question of when the child begins to hold the toy. Mastering this skill comes, as a rule, in the third month of the baby's birth. At this age, he tries to stretch his hands to the toy of interest and hold a small rattle. In addition, by the end of three months, the baby can independently remove the pacifier from the mouth and insert it back.

Baby development from 4 to 6 months

A four-month-old baby is already able to climb on his hands, hold and turn his head, and respond to his name. In addition, this is the very period when the child begins to hold toys on his own more confidently, examine them and take them into his mouth. Starting from five months, the baby can independently roll over from his tummy to his back, laugh, distinguish relatives from strangers, sit with support, and also suck his fingers and toes. At six months, the movements of the baby become more confident. In addition to the fact that the child during this period knows how to sit down without help, get on all fours, pronounce syllables, he also learns to shift the toy from one hand to another.

Baby development from 7 to 9 months

From this age, the baby has a wild desire to learn something new and still unknown. At this time the childknows how to sit down, crawl, get up and walk independently with the support of parents, hold books and toys in his hands, memorize parts of his body and show where his mouth, eyes, nose, etc. are located. By nine months, the baby already knows how to say a few simple words, move along the wall or crib, dance to the music. And also, in addition to toys, he is able to independently take food and put it in his mouth.

Baby development from 10 months to a year

At this age period, the child becomes even more interested in playing with toys and learning them: he already knows how to roll cars and throw a ball. In addition, the baby is able to play with small objects, such as sorting through cereals. In addition to the fact that by the year the child begins to sit, squat, walk, bounce, he also knows how to drink and eat on his own, take off his socks and hat, and wave his pen as a sign of greeting or goodbye. A one-year-old baby is able to assemble and disassemble the details of the designer, help brush his teeth, comb, wash.

At what age does a baby hold a toy?

According to the norms of child development, the baby is able to hold toys, reaching three months. But due to the grasping reflex, there are cases when the child begins to hold the toy in his hand from two to three weeks after birth. This action occurs in the crumbs involuntarily, he is still unable to control it. To attract the attention of the baby, it is worth using bright toys located at a distance of at least thirty centimeters from his face. For such cases, colored rattles are suitable. But not toscare the baby, it is important to choose toys without sharp and loud sounds. Also, when the child begins to hold the toy, do not offer the baby heavy items, as he may drop them on himself. Thus, closer to three months, the baby is able to hold compact things in his hands, examine them and pull them into his mouth. And at how many months the child begins to hold toys consciously, we will consider further.

When does a child independently pick up and hold objects?

From the age of four months, a child tends to more consciously take those objects that fell into his field of vision. In addition, at this age, the baby tries to squeeze toys and diligently pull towards him. Therefore, it is important to create the safest possible conditions for the child, as he can bite a tube of cream or grab a passing animal by the tail.

Teaching a child to hold a rattle in his hands

Speaking about when a child begins to hold a toy in his hand, do not forget that each baby is characterized by individual development. Therefore, do not panic if a four-month-old baby is still unable to hold objects. You can help your child master this skill with the help of simple exercises, which are presented below. Before classes, it is recommended to do a light massage on both arms of the baby. Further exercises should begin with training in tracking the subject.

Eye contact

To do this, show your child a bright rattle at a distance of thirty centimeters from his eyes. Make sure thatThe child is interested in the toy and carefully watches it. And only after that, slowly with shaking, move the rattle first down and up, and then laterally. This workout must be repeated at least three times. It is important that the child does not lose the object from his field of vision.

Clutch hands

A sure sign that the baby began to explore the world more actively is the connection of the handles over the chest. As a rule, these movements are accompanied by sipping towards a certain object. To teach the baby to grip, you need to connect his hands: so he can feel the squeezing of his fingers. This exercise is best done when the baby is in your arms.

Put the toy in the palm of your hand

To arouse a child's interest in a rattle, it is necessary that it comes into his field of vision next to the palm of his hand. Then touch the toy to the baby's fingers so that he pays attention to it. Attach the proposed object to the palm of the baby, most likely, he will try to grab it. The first attempts may look quite uncertain and wrong, but each time this action will turn out faster and better. In this exercise, the regularity of training is important, which must be done about five times for each handle in turn. Make sure the toy is properly gripped.

Handle control

At the moment when the child holds the toy in his hand, take the crumb by the forearm and move his hand with the rattle in different directions, but within the field of view. The end result of the exercise is thatthe baby in the process of training can independently hold the toy. An example of a game with a child can be seen in the following video.

If the previous exercise was successful, then you can try to bring the baby's second hand closer and touch the one in which the rattle is located. Such an action will contribute to the development of shifting the object from one hand to another.

Change position

After the child has mastered the skill of stretching the handles to the toy while lying on the back, offer to reach out to the rattle from the prone position on the tummy. This option is the most difficult, so you must first show these actions several times with the participation of the child. Don't forget to praise your child for a job well done. This will allow him to realize success, which in the future will become an incentive for further exercises.

Which toys to choose for a child

We found out what time the child begins to hold the toy. But for safety and the formation of skills, you need to choose the right rattle. The first toy of the baby should be light and bright with finely fragmented filler, which does not make a sharp sound so as not to frighten the child. It is best to choose a toy with a straight and long handle. Before showing your new rattle to your baby, be sure to wash it in warm water with baby soap. The assortment of rattles in children's stores is diverse, therefore, in order not to get confused, bright colors should be preferred as the first toy of a child: red, yellow, orange orgreen. Objects should be of different shapes and textures, which will help develop fine motor skills and tactile sensations, as well as shape the taste and preferences in the future.

In the first six months, three toys will be enough for the baby, which can be hung in a stroller or crib. For a six-month-old child, you can purchase educational and moving toys, different in texture. It is important that they do not make loud noises and are not heavy for the baby. In addition, it should be comfortable for the child to hold them in the pen.

Note

During the exercise, it is important to be in a good mood not only for the child, but also for the parent, you need to talk with the baby and conduct classes in a playful way. Do not forget that it takes time, diligence from the baby and repeated repetitions to master a new skill. Almost every child at the first attempts is difficult to hold the subject. But in no case should you compare the baby with other children or be angry with him. Encouragement and systematic activities with the baby will help to significantly accelerate the acquisition of a new skill and will positively affect its development in general. Summing up the above, we note that when teaching with a child, the following recommendations should be taken into account:

1. As the first toy, it is better to pick up a rattle with a long handle, about fifteen centimeters. The coloring should be bright, and the product itself should be light.
2. By six months, a child may have toys in their arsenal, different in shape, color, material. Music is also welcome.rattles with unusual fillings and textures, as new tactile sensations promote the development of fine motor skills and gradually form preferences.
3. For the safety of the baby, it is never recommended to leave him alone with the toy.
4. Make sure your little one is full, calm and he althy before class, as he should be free from distractions while exercising.
5. Each exercise must be performed in turn for each hand, so as not to form the skills of only a left-hander or a right-hander.
6. Psychologists advise after each successful exercise to praise the child. This will be an incentive for the baby to further efforts.
7. You should pay great attention to the cleanliness of toys. All children tend to explore the world in various ways, including tasting something interesting. Usually, kids pull all objects into their mouths when their teeth erupt. Scolding for such pranks is sometimes useless, so it is the responsibility of parents to ensure the safety of their kids.
8. Regularity is important in learning new skills, otherwise the child may lose interest in classes.
9. The proposed exercises are recommended to be carried out in the form of a game, using nursery rhymes, songs or rhymes.

Speaking of how many months the child begins to hold a toy, do not forget that all babies are individual, and the development of each of them occurs in different ways. Some babies already in the first month of life examine objects with interest. Undoubtedly, it is important what time the child keepsa toy, but if the baby does not hold objects well at four months, do not panic. He may need a little more time to master this skill. If relatives have suspicions regarding the development of the baby, it is worth contacting the child's doctor. If after the test it turns out that everything is in order with his vision, reactions and nervous system, then you just have to wait, he will gradually master this skill. Sometimes kids refuse to pick up toys they don't like. Therefore, in such cases, it is necessary to offer the child rattles of various shapes and colors. The age at which a child begins to hold a toy depends on the time that parents devote to learning.