Development at 3 Months
Click for more details:
Activity 1
Age Appropriate Development
Follows Diagonally with Eyes
 I am learning to follow diagonally with my eyes! Hold a brightly colored (red, white and black recommended) toy or picture card about 25cm(or 10 inches) in front of my eyes when I am lying on my back. Move the picture in a diagonal direction across my face when I am focusing on it. Watch me follow the picture with my eyes. Please remember to let me rest after half a minute, as my little eye muscles may tire easily. I usually develop the ability to follow diagonally with my eyes between 1 and 4 months. |
Steps
-
Lie your child on his back.
-
Hold a picture about 25cm in front of his eyes and wait for him to focus on it.
-
Move the picture to a corner above his head, then move it slowly in a diagonal across his face to the opposite corner near his chin.
-
Observe if he can follow the diagonal movement with his eyes.
-
Remember to look at his eyes move in the opposite diagonal direction as well.
Feedback
Following a moving object diagonally with the eyes is harder than following an object horizontally or vertically. Your child needs to have greater movement coordination for this task. Some suggested activities to help your child develop this skill are:
|
-
Use a noisy colorful rattle to attract your child's attention first. When he is focusing on the toy, stop making any sound and move the rattle to encourage him to visually follow diagonally. If he loses focus on the toy, make some sound again to regain his attention, then move the toy again, quietly
-
Place your child on a slightly elevated incline (e.g. on your thighs when you are seated on the floor with your knees bent upwards or in his infant seat) and attempt the activity again. The visual system may be more easily engaged when the infant is in the slightly elevated position.
-
Keep a stack of visual cards or a visual toy handy so that he may be engaged visually during times when he is awake and ready to play.
-
If your child is not visually tracking to a particular direction as well, encourage him to track in that direction more.
|
|
Activity 2
Age Appropriate Fine Motor Development
Brings Hands to Midline while Lying on Back
 I am learning to control my arms against the pull of gravity! Place me on my back and observe if I am able to bring my hands to my midline. You may hold my favorite toy at my midline to encourage me to reach for it with my hands. I usually develop this ability when I am between 1 and 4 months old. |
Steps
-
Lie your child on his back.
-
Observe if he is able to bring his hands to his midline in this position.
-
You may hold a colorful toy near his midline to encourage him to reach for it, if necessary.
Feedback
In this task, your child is developing good ability in controlling his shoulder and arm muscles against gravity. Continue to provide him with lots of opportunities to use this new ability and strength! Take a look at some suggested activities to develop this skill.
|
-
If you are feeding your child from a bottle, encourage him to use this new ability by placing his hands on the bottle (as if he was helping to hold his own bottle) during feeding time.
-
A baby play gym will be a good toy at this stage. Place it over your child as he lies on his back. This will encourage him to reach up, work his shoulder and arm muscles even more and have loads of fun at the same time!
-
Encourage your child to reach and grasp for toys frequently in the side-lying position (both left and right side-lie). This will help him build up his shoulder and arm muscles and prepare him for work against gravity.
-
Whenever your child is lying on his back and awake (e.g. during nappy change times), encourage him to reach up by gently stroking or kissing his chest. You may also place your face or a bright colorful toy close to him and encourage him to reach up.
-
When your child is awake, let him spend more time on his tummy. As he tries to lift his head and chest up, he will need to push down through his shoulders. This will help strengthen his shoulder and arm muscles.
|
|
|
