Development at 8 Months
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Activity 1
Age Appropriate Fine Motor Development
Rakes Tiny Objects with Fingers
I am learning to isolate my little finger muscles! Sit me in a stable position and offer me some tiny objects on the palm of your hand. Observe if I am able to play with the tiny objects by raking them with my fingers. Try this on my other hand too.
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Steps
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Seat your child in a stable position.
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Offer him some tiny objects in the palm of your hand.
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Observe if he is able to rake the tiny objects with his fingers.
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Try this on his other hand too
Feedback
Your child is developing good fine finger manipulation ability in this activity. A child usually develops the ability to rake tiny objects with his fingers between 7 and 8 months. You may look at the suggested activities with this task.
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Provide your child with many opportunities to explore tiny objects with his fingers. However, always take great care when he is playing with tiny objects which may be swallowed.
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Hold your child's hand and direct his fingers (instead of his palm) to explore the beans.
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Encourage your child to play with different textured substances (e.g. sand, different fabrics, cotton balls, finger paint using water colors, etc.) to improve his hand awareness, which may help him develop his finger isolation ability.
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Provide your child with many opportunities to explore tiny objects with his hands and fingers. This will also help him to learn how to isolate his finger muscles.
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Activity 2
Age Appropriate Speech And Language Development
Begins to Comprehend 'No'
 This is when I begin to listen more closely to voices and understand that vocalizing is a means of communication! I begin to understand words that are used frequently like 'no' and 'bye-bye'! I usually develop the ability to comprehend the meaning of 'no' between 8 and 12 months. |
Steps
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Observe your child in daily activities.
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When he is behaving inappropriately (e.g. putting an inedible object in his mouth), say a firm 'No' to him.
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Observe if he is able to comprehend your instruction and stop his inappropriate behavior.
Feedback
By stopping what he was doing, your baby shows he understands the meaning of 'no'. He is beginning to associate meanings to sounds and words he hears. Do note that you should not try to use 'no' excessively as it may become meaningless. Use it and explain why the action is stopped to promote better understanding. Use simple language, e.g. 'No! Hot!' From here, your child is on his way to understanding appropriate behavior or gestures! Do look at the suggested activities for more ideas.
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Create a learning opportunity out of a naturally occurring situation! For example, when your baby is the one who doesn't want something, e.g. he decides he doesn't want his milk. Make use of the situation by saying, 'No milk, bye-bye milk'. Shake your head as you say 'no' and put the milk away.
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If your baby reaches for a pencil and puts it in his mouth, say 'no' and if he stops, praise him, e.g., say 'Good boy' or 'Good listening’, then distract him with another activity. If he ignores you, then physically take his hand away from his mouth, while again saying 'no' then praise him. He will soon learn the meaning of "no".
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If your baby does not seem to understand what 'no' is, it could be because he seldom hears it. Expose him to 'no' when the situation warrants it and always associate it with why the action is prohibited.
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