Physical Activity for Young Infants in Child Care Centers

Child care providers can help infants remain active.

Although infants between birth and 12 months are too young to run and jump, there is plenty of physical activity they can enjoy. Infants with working parents typically spend the majority of their waking hours with a child care provider, who must make it their responsibility to ensure the child is developing properly. Infants grow and change quickly; child care providers should remain abreast of these developments and adjust babies' physical activity accordingly.

Dependent Activity

Before an infant can sit up on his own, child care providers should place the infant on his back so the infant can kick his legs around, play with his toes, wave his hands and look at his fingers. While day care providers are changing infants, they should talk, coo and sing to them. They should also explain what they are doing and name the items they are using. Child care providers should lift babies by their hands and allow them to bounce up and down on their legs, strengthening their muscle control. Infants should be placed on their stomachs periodically (with constant supervision) to practice lifting their heads and strengthening their neck and back. Babies should only be placed on their stomachs when they are awake and alert.

Independent Activity

Infants around four months of age should begin to roll over from their back to front and must be closely supervised during this activity. Once they are sitting up on their own and crawling, child care providers should give them colorful toys that make noise for rattling, chewing on and shaking. Between six and eight months of age, infants should be left in protected, open spaces as much as possible, to exercise their limbs and practice independent movement. It is normal for them to begin trying to pull themselves up to a standing position using couches, tables, the bars of their crib, play pen rails, chairs and so forth. Child care providers should also let infants at this age attempt to feed themselves.

Learning Activities

It is never too early to begin teaching infants about themselves and the world around them. Child care providers should help infants learn by making eye contact and then moving from side to side to make sure the infant's eyes follow. They can also do this with colorful objects. Child care providers should shake rattles and other noisy toys near the infant's head so the baby will practice turning his head to follow noises. Once the child is able to sit up, child care providers should read and show him books with large pictures and few words, and call out the names of objects seen in the child's daily environment, such as "dog," "bed," "diapers," "hands," "feet" and so on.

Playtime Activities

Infants should be taken outside as much as possible (weather permitting) to be shown their outside environment. Trips in the stroller to the park or simply around the block can be invigorating, as well as simply sitting in the grass on a blanket with a few toys. Child care providers should play with infants by placing toys out of their grasp that they must reach, roll or crawl to get. Toys that infants seem bored with should be replaced immediately to keep them interested and motivated. Games like patty cake and peek-a-boo are also good for infants.

References

• NNCC: Infant Development
• Child Care Aware: Show Them the Moves
• Extension: What Child Care Providers Can Expect in Infants' Physical Development