How Movement Affects Baby's Brain Development
By Rae Pica, Children's Movement Specialist
Besides the fact that they were built to do so, there are a great many reasons why infants need to move. The truth is, even though their movement capabilities are extremely limited when compared with even those of a toddler, movement experiences may be more important for infants than for children of any other age group. And it's not all about motor development either.
Bounce That Baby!
In the beginning, your baby relies on you for the majority of her movement experiences. As parents have done throughout the ages, you intuitively rock, jiggle, bounce and walk with your infant in your arms. You know that such motions soothe your little one. What you may not know is that this is due to the baby's highly developed vestibular system – the body's sense of movement and balance – that, along with touch, conveys sensation, soothing your child. But the motion and sensation also promote early brain development and even better visual alertness.
Movement, in fact, helps to create nerve cell networks and neural wiring in the brain and throughout the body – in infancy and throughout life. In infancy, you can literally see the relationship between a baby's motor development and the resultant learning. As baby moves from a lying to a sitting to a creeping and finally to a standing position, his perspective changes, as do his perceptions of the world and its possibilities. The more mobile he becomes, the more he increases his knowledge about himself and the people and things around him, acquiring information through his tactile (touch), kinesthetic (muscular), proprioceptive (body awareness) and vestibular (motion awareness) senses. With each new experience, new neural connections are made.
Still, recent evidence indicates that infants are spending upward of 60 waking hours a week in such things as highchairs, carriers, car seats and the like. That means little to no opportunity for babies to strengthen their muscles – to lift and turn their heads, to push up on their arms, to develop optimal balance, stability and motor skills. It means little to no opportunity for the cross-lateral (right arm/left leg, left arm/right leg) experience gained from crawling and creeping. And because cross-lateral movement activates both hemispheres of the brain and stimulates communication across the corpus callosum (the matter connecting the two hemispheres), being confined affects much more than motor development; it impacts brain development and can later result in problems with reading and writing.
All of these areas of development are simple matters when Mother Nature is allowed to handle them as intended – through the baby's natural desire to move. But when this desire is thwarted, such "simple matters" as upper torso strength, rotation of the head, visual tracking, motor development and so forth become much more difficult to achieve, often eventually requiring intervention from such professionals as physical and occupational therapists.
Let's Get Moving, Baby!
Humans are meant to move and play. The inclination – the need – is hardwired into them. Babies, in fact, spend nearly half of their waking time – 40 percent – doing things like kicking, bouncing and waving their arms. And while it may appear all this activity is just for the sake of moving, it's important to realize a baby is never "just moving" or "just playing." Every action extends the child's development in some way.
Here are some ideas to get or keep your baby moving!
Rolling Over: Babies' first movements are reflexive, or involuntary. Rolling over is a voluntary movement – and one you can encourage by providing a little incentive. While Baby is lying on her back, sit behind her, holding a small toy over her head. Once you have Baby's attention, move the toy very slowly to one side, all the while encouraging her to get it. If Baby rolls over, present her with the toy. You can later repeat the game on the other side.
Blowing Bubbles: Blow bubbles for Baby to watch (making sure they're far enough away so they don't pop in his face). When Baby's old enough, encourage him to reach for the bubbles – or for any other object of desire you place above him. Such games promote visual tracking and eye-hand coordination.
Patty-cake: Games like patty-cake have lasted through the years because they work so well with infants. They offer opportunities for social interaction, imitation, touch and rhythmic awareness – and yet another chance for Baby to hear your voice.
Crossing the Midline: To encourage crossing the midline of the body (the invisible line running from head to toes and dividing the body into left and right sides), hand Baby desirable items in such a way that she has to reach across her body to retrieve them from you. Later, when Baby is crawling and creeping, place a brightly colored object or favorite toy on the floor, just out of reach, encouraging her to go get it. Then, as long as she seems to enjoy the game (she's laughing instead of fussing), keep moving it.
Splish-splash: When Baby is able to sit unassisted, make him comfortable on an old vinyl tablecloth or large piece of plastic you've placed on the floor. Put warm water in a large, unbreakable bowl in front of him and encourage him to touch and splash the water! This is a great activity for eye-hand coordination and upper torso exercise.
Cruising: Hurrying skills like standing or walking is never a good idea. Babies will get to these skills when they're developmentally ready, but they do need to be given opportunities. Toward that end you can be sure your baby has chances to pull herself up on sturdy furniture, like a sofa or heavy coffee table. If you notice she's trying to pull herself up with something that's not sturdy, you can simply pick her up and put her someplace more appropriate. (Be aware, however, that once she's up, she may need your help getting back down!) Eventually she'll begin to "walk," using the furniture for support. Once she's walking unassisted, Baby will enjoy pushing, pulling and carrying objects while walking. Not only do these activities provide practice with this important locomotor skill, but they alsohelp develop understanding of cause and effect.
While all of the above activities offer much in terms of your baby's growth and development, you don't have to understand exactly how. You don't have to know the science behind Baby's need to move; you just have to know that he needs to! Mother Nature has a pretty good plan for motor and brain development. Giving your baby the time, space and opportunity to move helps her fulfill it!