Babies exploring their curiosity!
Your baby is curious about our world and can’t wait to explore. Babies apply their current favourite methods of physical exploration regardless of the object.
Your baby’s actions are powered by curiosity and the delight of physical sensations. You can still ‘tinker’ when you are under 12 months old!
These are some of the skills that ‘tiny tinkerers’ will develop whilst exploring objects:
- Grasp and hold the object
- Wave it
- Look intently at it
- Squeeze it
- Chew it
- Suck it
- Pull it
- Bang it
- Throw it
- Poke it
- Poke you
- Drop it
- Explore from different angles, upside down etc
Top tips:
- Appropriate objects: ensure the objects are appropriate for your baby’s age as they have no sense of danger, nor an understanding of what are ‘baby toys’ and what are not
- Remove choking hazards: make sure the items are not too small for your baby, as their main way of exploring objects is by using their mouth
- Always stay with your baby: sit with them when they are laying on their tummy and when exploring objects
- Watch carefully: make the situation safe with your friendly involvement in your baby’s playful exploration
- Remove temptation: in a family home, you might need gently to remove objects that are unsafe or move your baby away from temptation
