Health and Wellbeing
The Importance of Floor Based Play on Child Development
Find out why time on the floor matters so much for babies and young children, and how to join in without taking over.
- 48 minutes
- Recorded webinar
- Certificate
Members
Parent membership: all 50 courses for parents and carers, £40 a year or £4 a month after 14 days free.
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What you'll learn
- Explain how tummy time builds the strength a baby needs to move and explore
- Follow your child's lead by copying their play and waiting for them
- Use bubbles, balloons and other simple toys to share a moment together
- Adjust your voice and pace for a child who's sensitive to noise
- Use the "seven drops" to play without taking over
About this course
Play can feel like the thing you fit in once everything else is done. Yet for babies and young children, time on the floor builds a great deal. Tummy time gives a baby the neck and core strength to look around, reach and move with purpose, and those early back-and-forth smiles are the start of conversation.
An experienced children's occupational therapist explains what's going on in your child's brain and body, then shows you how to join in. The approach comes from DIR Floortime. Follow your child's lead, copy what they're doing, and give them time to respond rather than filling the silence. Bubbles, balloons or a paper aeroplane are enough to get started.
You'll also get the "seven drops", a handful of reminders worth keeping where you'll see them. Drop your voice, get down to your child's level, put your phone away, and don't worry that fun is frivolous.
Recording
Open in order
- 32 min
Webinar Playback
- 17 min
Q&A