Educational Series-Babies:101

Welcome to our 6 part Educational Series!  Our therapists have put together some great information on a range of topics, from developmental milestones for babies and toddlers, to picky eaters and "sensory seekers".
Please follow us on Instagram (@therapeuticbeginnings) for the live presentation;  More details notes and suggestions will be found in these blog posts. 
The information below is around "What can I do?" at home, from an OT approach. 

What Can I Do? -OT
Gross Motor Activities for 0-1 years old 
Tummy Time:  

• Roll blanket underneath chest/armpits or utilize boppy pillow. Place their elbows underneath their shoulders to work on head control. 

• If afraid of transition to tummy time from back initially, give them time in sidelying and then roll into tummy time.  

• Encourage free movement as much as possible.  

• Place toys around the baby to reach for and visually scan them. 

• Reaching While on Tummy: Place toys just out of reach to promote weight shifting and rolling. (3-6 months) 

• Tummy Time Duration:  

• 1-2 months: 2–5-minute sessions, up to 20-30 minutes total per day. 

• 3-4 months: 5–10-minute sessions, up to 45-60 minutes per day. 

• 5-6 months: 10–15-minute sessions, 1-2 hours per day. 

• 6-10 months: 15-20 minutes per session, 1-2 hours per day.  

• 10-12 months: By this stage, babies are usually spending more time crawling, pulling to stand, and cruising—so tummy time should be integrated into play rather than a structured activity. 
  

Visual Tracking:  

• Encourage child to follow rattle/preferred toy from side to side in supine.  

• Have your child reach for toys on their backs.  

• Watch out for favoring one side when lying on back; if showing preference for one side, position toys on the opposite side to encourage full neck range of motion. 
  
• In tummy time, encourage tracking from side to side.  
  

Rolling: 6-9 Months 

• Rolling Games: Encourage rolling by using favorite toys or peek-a-boo with blankets. 
• Modified Obstacle Courses: Use couch cushions or tunnels for crawling practice. 
• Sitting to Reach: Offer toys at varying heights to challenge balance and dynamic stability 
• Sitting: 
• If unstable, place child with boppy pillow as support or utilize a blanket to support child. Can also place child in the corner of the couch/wall to provide some additional support.  
• Have them sit supported on a yoga ball to encourage core strengthening and rock them side to side allowing time for them to correct their posture until they are sitting upright again. 
• Encourage reaching for toys (front/side/back) to improve core strength and postural control. 

Gross Motor 9–12-month Games:  

• Crawling Over Objects: Low cushions, foam blocks, or soft ramps enhance proprioception and motor planning. 
• Cruising Along Furniture: Supports lateral weight shifts and trunk control. 
• Push Toys or Laundry Baskets: Foster early walking and bilateral coordination. 
• High-contrast wrist rattles or mittens: Encourage visual tracking and spontaneous arm movement. 
• Gentle hand-over-hand finger play (e.g., “Itsy Bitsy Spider”) to foster tactile awareness. 

Fine Motor Activities for 0-1:  
0–3 months 

• Tummy time with lightweight crinkle toys: Boost shoulder stability while motivating. 

4–6 months 

• Textured teething toys for mouthing and bilateral grasp. 

• Dangling toys over chest or in side-lying: Promotes midline orientation and reaching across the body. 

• Supported sitting with large, soft blocks: Encourages grasp and object manipulation. 

7–9 months 

• Peekaboo with fabric squares: Promotes fine grasp and object permanence. 

• Stacking rings or nesting cups: Great for release, precision grasp, and visual-motor integration. 

• Simple cause-and-effect toys: (e.g., pressing buttons, flipping levers) for index isolation and problem-solving. 

• Stacking or Banging Objects: Containers or nesting cups help refine graded control and bilateral use. 

10–12 months 

• Pincer grasp practice: Offer small snacks like O-shaped cereal or soft puffs on a textured surface. 

• Finger painting with yogurt or pudding: Perfect for sensory exploration and tactile tolerance. 

• Dropping objects into containers: Supports coordinated release and early tool use. 

• Push-Pull Lid Games: Flip-top containers or boxes with flaps promote cause-effect understanding and precision. 

• Simple Insert Tasks: Drop balls into a toy bin or fit shapes into easy puzzles—great for eye-hand coordination and motor planning. 

 
Activities to Support Gross Motor Development 1-2 years old: 
12–18 Months 

• Scooting and Climbing: Over couch cushions, therapy steps, or low foam blocks—this builds strength and motor planning. 

• Push-and-Pull Play: Wagons, weighted carts, or laundry baskets build core stability and bilateral coordination. 

• Dancing with Movement Prompts: Try "spin," "stomp," or "tiptoe" to integrate proprioception with auditory processing. 

• Ball Games: Rolling, kicking, or carrying oversized balls encourages coordination and shifting weight in motion. 

18–24 Months 

• Ride-On Toys: Low scooters or striders develop core strength and navigation through space. 

• Obstacle Paths: Pillows to step over, tunnels to crawl through, and tape lines to walk on encourage sequencing and stability. 

• Animal Walks: Bear crawls, crab walks, or bunny hops tap into both imagination and gross motor patterns. 

• Balance Exploration: Standing on cushions, low beams, or trying a “freeze” pose mid-movement supports vestibular input and postural control. 

Fine Motor/Visual Motor Activities 1-2:  
Fine Motor Skills 

• Sticker Play: Peeling and placing large puffy stickers on paper or vertical surfaces to target finger isolation and motor precision. 

• Posting Games: Drop coins into a piggy bank or buttons into a slit in a container—great for pincer grasp and graded finger strength. 

• Play Dough Pressing & Rolling: Add rollers, stamps, or toys to embed for retrieval—wonderful for hand strength and tactile exploration. 

• Pom-Pom Pick-Up: Use tongs or fingers to transfer pom-poms into muffin tins or egg cartons--builds bilateral coordination and graded control. ​

Visual Motor Skills 

• Stacking & Nesting: Cups, rings, or blocks that require spatial reasoning and sequencing. 
• Simple Puzzles (2–4 pieces): Supports scanning, matching, and integrating hand-eye coordination. 
• Chalk or Crayon Scribbling: On vertical surfaces like easels or paper taped to the wall—encourages wrist extension and visual tracking. 
• Ball Drop Ramps or Track Toys: Promotes visual tracking, anticipation, and object permanence. 
• Activities to Support Gross Motor Development: 2-3 years old 
• Animal walks (bear crawl, frog jumps) to improve coordination. 
• Obstacle courses with climbing, crawling, and balancing challenges. 
• Ball play (rolling, throwing, kicking) to enhance hand-eye coordination. 
• Balance beam play to improve balance, strengthen stability, and promote self-righting reactions. 
• Jumping games to build leg strength and control. 

Fine Motor/Visual Motor Activities 2-3:  
Fine Motor Activities 

• Beading: Use large wooden beads or cereal onto pipe cleaners to support precision and graded release. 
• Scissor Snipping: Offer fringe-cutting tasks with loop scissors and thick paper strips to build hand strength and open-close patterns. 
• Play Dough Tool Work: Embed items to pull out with tongs, or cut with plastic knives—great for intrinsic hand muscles and bilateral use. 
• Clothespin Play: Clip onto cardboard shapes, stuffed animals, or a “clothesline”—targets thumb opposition and endurance. 

​Visual Motor Activities 

• Lacing Cards or Boards: Shapes or animals with holes for yarn lacing foster visual tracking and bilateral integration. 
• Simple Mazes and Tracing Paths: Use fingers or markers on pre-drawn paths to build prewriting and visual-motor control. 
• Shape Sorting with a Twist: Sort by color, size, or even texture to boost visual discrimination and spatial reasoning. 
• Dot-to-Dot or Sticker Paths: Encourages sequencing and hand-eye coordination as they follow a guided sequence.

We know that's a lot of information to process!  Please feel free to reach out with any questions! And remember, we offer FREE in house consultations!  Just contact our front desk and ask for a screening!  We'd love to meet you and help you decide if early intervention is right for your child! 
Next up.......Babies: 101 and speech!