Crawling seems just the first sign that the child will soon take his first steps, but this process means much more than that. Crawling in addition to motor gains, contributes to concentration, understanding and memory.
Because it is such an important stage, the NGO Fundação Maria CecĂlia Souto Vidigal, which focuses on early childhood development, promotes the crawl. The event brings together babies, parents and volunteers to encourage children to crawl. The structure is assembled in a public place and adapted with rubber mats, toys and other elements to encourage movement through the four supports. Crawling has already taken place in several cities in the interior of SĂŁo Paulo, such as Votuporanga, Penápolis and others.
Below are some items on the importance of crawling, as well as ways to encourage babies to move from two months of age onwards.
1) Moving on all fours helps to develop many muscle groups, as well as strengthening ligaments. These benefits are important allies so that in the coming years the child will have ease with writing and fine coordination, such as painting, handling small objects and other more delicate movements.
2) Skills such as reading, writing and calculations are also directly linked to this period. When crawling, the child improves visual skills that involve depth perception, in addition to being able to assess how things are organized in a given place and their relationship with the environment.
3) Crawling is a repetitive movement and it helps with neurological development, so the brain can control processes such as concentration, understanding and memory.
4) Crawling is baby's first activity that involves moving legs and arms alternately, this promotes general motor coordination, as well as strengthening the spine. This set of actions prepares the child to stand up more easily, in addition to opening doors for running and other sports.
5) It is important that the child crawls before walking, as it avoids the risk of injury and encourages self-confidence. It is during this period that the baby begins to make his first decisions, for example, when to go faster, slower, where he wants to go, and so on.
6) To encourage the child to move around, it is essential to present a spacious and obstacle-free place. The surface must be firm like a wooden floor or adapted with EVA mats. It is advisable to stimulate the child from six months of age.
7) If your baby hasn't crawled yet, try putting a toy or something really flashy in front of him. Put him on his stomach or sitting, he is very likely to move as far as he wants to go. Repeat this for a few times and soon he will start with the first few crawls.
8) The baby needs to be motivated, so encourage movement with a “bargain coin”, some toy or object. It is important that after the child reaches where he wanted, this distance increases more and more, increasing the degree of difficulty and stimulating the baby's movement.
9) You can also serve as a stimulus. Position yourself in front of him and invite him to come into your arms.
10) Children usually start to crawl from seven months of age. If, when they reach one year of age, they are still unable to crawl or balance while standing, they should be taken to a pediatrician so that the baby's development is checked.
11) This phase requires double attention. An adult must always be around to avoid risks. The house must also be adapted, avoiding as much as possible elements that could pose any danger to the child.
Text written by Natália Nocelli from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team.
