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Fun for Little Crawlers
Crawling Games to Play with Baby
By Kim Seidel
Even with all of the amazing toys she had as a baby, my first daughter most remembers the huge cardboard box. Today she's nearly 10, and she'll still bring up how she crawled through that long, wide box that our television stand was delivered in. As I coaxed her along, she loved to get on all fours to pretend she was a puppy running through the makeshift tunnel to me, her "owner."
It takes fewer toys than you might imagine for your crawling baby girl or boy. By the time they reach 1 year of age, they're ready to explore the world. Simple games, obstacle courses and rhyming songs can entertain your baby for many hours and help him to learn while strengthening his body and mind.
Already, your baby has grown so much since you brought him home. Now, he's suddenly crawling! Crawling is important to brain development in your baby – motor function is important for children in all stages, says Lonna Corder, a well-known parent educator in San Francisco, who became the founding teacher of what today is popularly called "playgroup."
"First, your baby is in Mommy's arms and sees the world through a safe and cozy filter," Corder says. "Then, when your baby sits up and looks out away from Mommy, the world is a bigger place. Next, the baby is mobile. Crawling takes the baby away from you and gives him a perspective from the floor level, which helps brain development."
At this stage, parents need to gain Baby's trust and confidence as he engages in crawling away from them.
"Chase games are fantastic because it is fun to crawl from Mommy and Daddy, but safe when they catch up," Corder says. "It is the first game – after peek-a-boo – that teaches the baby that Mommy is still there after she disappears behind the blanket."
