March 2014: Gross motor development
Throughout March we have noticed that Lucas is developing more confidence in moving through his environment and has begun experimenting with standing alongside furniture. Lucas usually starts the day feeling upset, however once he has had an opportunity to crawl around the room on his own, and visit all the familiar areas, he settles and chooses an area to play.
Lately his favourite thing to do is to try and pull himself up into a standing position alongside the bridge. The day we first noticed this he had been crawling around the room after having cuddles, and had only stopped calling out to us in a tone that let us know he was sad. We suddenly heard this excited “oooh ooh!” and looked around, wondering who it was. There was Lucas, in a half standing position alongside the bridge, his eyes open wide in surprise and a smile beginning to form on his face. “Yay Lucas!” Everyone made a big deal of this, and the smile on his face broadened. He sat down tentatively and then stood up again, repeating “ooh ooh!” in excitement. Once again we all clapped and cheered him on. Lucas obviously enjoyed the attention he was getting from this as he continued on for another 5 minutes, calling out to get our attention to see him standing by the bridge, and smiling in response to our cheers.
We have been working hard with Lucas to help him settle easier in the mornings, trying a range of experiences that would help to distract him and calm him. At this stage we hadn’t found one that worked regularly, and were still trying a range of options. Recognising this was a game he was enjoying, we continued to use this as a means to settle him. Lucas is still quite upset in the mornings, but once we encourage him to engage in a game of Peek- A-Boo, using the bridge to support him standing up and sitting down to hide from us, he has begun to show signs of settling quicker. He has also enjoyed this throughout the day. Extending on this we have engaged Lucas in small group games of Peek-A-Boo, using the colourful scarves to hide behind. Again, this has been successful sometimes, but other times not so, but knowing Lucas enjoys the game we are continuing to play this with him.
As the month has gone on, Lucas has become more and more confident standing beside the bridge, and has also begun to experiment with pulling himself up alongside other pieces of furniture. There have been times we have even noticed him experimenting with letting go, and holding on with one hand. He does this very precariously, slowly lifting one hand and holding it out beside him before quickly returning it.
Analysis of Learning: Lucas is still developing a sense of security within the Nursery environment, however is now finding ways in which to distract himself, demonstrating that he is beginning to learn to regulate his own emotions. Lucas shows enthusiasm for participating in physical play; this is a recent development for Lucas and it was great to see him enjoying a game out of his attempts to stand alongside furniture. As Lucas experiments with his ability to stand he demonstrates a sense of achievement, calling out to educators to let them know as well.
