OBSTACLE COURSE FOR CREEPERS AND CRAWLERS

Once your baby is on the move, with places to go and new things to explore and see, there will be no stopping them. Keep them busy by creating an obstacle course that both challenges them physically and teaches them what is under, over and around them. It will also help him to learn about space and the relationship between things as they creep crawl and cruise to their destination. Just remember to stay close and keep an eye on him as he learns.

Your baby is now starting to associate people and objects with names and other words with actions. And just as obstacles courses can get your baby moving, they are also wonderful opportunities to teach her some new words by naming the object as they are crawling on, over and around them. Navigating an obstacle course with some roadblocks and detours along the way will also help them develop physically.

Parents can easily do this at home; by using things they already have around the house.

• Pillows
• Bed sheets
• Towels
• Chairs that baby can crawl under or between
• Medium-size or large cardboard boxes
• A kitchen or dining room table.

Over the mountain;

Gather some pillows and cushions from your bed or sofa and make a pile. Drape a bed sheet over them to keep them clean. Challenge your baby to "climb the mountain", holding his body steady as he climbs. Remember to talk to him about what he is doing:"Up the mountain you go. You are climbing so high! Now you are on top of the mountain. Now you are climbing OVER the mountain!" Or you can make a mountain with your own body. Sit on the floor and bend your knees so they form a peak. (I do this a lot). Let your baby climb the mountain from your feet up to your head. Help him along and praise him as he goes.

Under the bridge;

Make a bridge for your baby to crawl through. It can be a chair or a table, or two chairs back to back with a space between them and a towel draped over them. You can even turn your legs into a makeshift bridge. Sit on a chair and place them in front of you. Describe what your baby is doing as he crawls under the bridge.

Through the tunnel;

Tunnels can be exciting for your baby and you don't need to buy a special one for him to crawl through. Just cut both ends of a medium-size or large cardboard box and stabilise it between two chairs. Or you and Dad can also be the tunnel-just stand together with your feet spread apart. Place a favourite toy at one end and your baby at the other, and encourage her to through the box to retrieve it. Encourage him as she is crawling.