Babies
through a
Developmental Lens

Have you ever taken the time to think about how cleverly a baby develops?
Even before a baby is welcomed into this world, they are learning from the people they encounter, and the experiences they are exposed to. From birth their learning journey continues. 

While Primary caregiving fulfils basic needs, it also shares learning moments which exposes each baby to the world around them. Using their senses, a baby learns to turn their head and track using their eyes. They gain muscle strength and control which allows movements to reach out and grasp objects, and make independent choices on where they would like to be, including who and what they would like to be engaged in and with.

Thinking about all the skills they master and knowledge they acquire in such a short time, makes us wonder whether we see babies and young children as competent learners. How are we promoting personal growth and are their opportunities that we might be missing due to our own barriers when it comes to a baby or young child’s health and wellbeing. 

Safety is paramount when engaging in any kind of learning moment, but does that mean the learning moment shouldn’t happen or does that mean that the learning moment needs deeper reflection, more time to consider how to make the experience age-appropriate and safe for all ages. 

We adapt ourselves every day. We alter routines and schedules to meet the needs of those around us. We challenge ourselves to come up with newer ideas and sometimes meaningful learning moments can be overshadowed by the pressures around us. 

How many skills can you think of that a baby learns in their first 12 months?

While a baby is perfecting these skills, what can you do to support their development?

Being creative is a sustainable practice, select 1 (one) resource and come up with as many uses/games as you can.

For example -  

Our resource is a piece of colourful/textured material. 

We could play peek-a-boo, hide an item under it, hang it from a box, weave it through fencing, wrap a baby doll in it, use it as a dress up costume, tell a story, use it as a puppet, create a sensory walk using it or make it into a mobile swinging in the breeze. 

There are many different uses for this one resource which promotes learning in a variety of ways.