Features of the development of fine motor skills in infants. Classes by age

How to strengthen your child's arm muscles

In this article I will tell you how to strengthen the muscles of a child’s arms with the help of gymnastics and massage. My recommendations apply to infants. In order to choose the hand exercises that your child currently needs, determine whether he has sufficient muscle strength and whether he can acquire the motor skills needed at his age.

Testing the child's arm muscles

Try testing the flexor (biceps) and extensor (triceps) muscles of your arms. Biceps, or biceps brachii muscle . The test is performed with the child lying on his back, with his head and shoulders slightly raised; place a thin pillow under his head for protection. Place your thumbs in the child's hands, and use your other fingers to grasp the outside of the handle. Pull slowly towards you, lifting the child's torso above the table surface. Take your time, wait until the child bends his arms at the elbow joints and at the same time raises his head above the table. In the absence of muscle strength and muscle tone, the child’s arms will remain straight at the elbow joints and the head will be thrown back.

Triceps, or triceps brachii muscle , occupies the entire back surface of the shoulder. Performs extension in the elbow and shoulder joints. Testing can be done from 3–4 months of age, after the physiologically increased tone of the arm flexor muscles, which counteract the extensor muscles, has normalized. The test is carried out if the baby, lying on his stomach, has confident support of his hands on his forearms. To test the arm extensor muscles, place your palm under your baby's chest and lift your baby's torso slightly off the table while he or she tries to straighten his arms. If the result is negative, the child’s arms do not straighten at the elbow joints, and he does not hold his torso on straight arms. Having made conclusions after testing, try to train your baby using the proposed exercises and supplementing the gymnastics with classic baby massage. Instructions on how to strengthen your child's arm muscles with exercises are given below.

Exercises to strengthen arm muscles

exercise 1

1. The baby lies on the table on his back with his head and shoulders raised at an angle of 45 degrees using a hard pillow. Place your thumbs in the child's hands, and use your other fingers to grasp the outside of the handle. Slowly pull the baby's arms towards you, but do not allow his head to rise above the surface. It is necessary to achieve active tension of the arm flexors with their further bending at the elbow joints. Repeat the exercise 5-7 times.

exercise 2

Once your baby develops active flexion of his arms when pulling up, help him lift his head above the surface by placing your palm under the back of his head and shoulders. Hold this position for 3-5 seconds, gradually increasing the duration. Repeat the exercise 5-7 times.

exercise 3

If the baby manages to group himself while lying on a hard pillow, i.e. raise your head and bend your elbows, when you pull him up by the arms, then the previous exercise should be repeated without a pillow under your head up to 5-7 times.

exercise 4

If the child easily performs the previous exercise, try repeating it for each hand in turn. At the same time, with one hand, hold the baby’s legs in the hip area so that they do not rise above the table surface. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times on each side. In this case, the baby can initially help himself with his free hand, pushing off from the table surface.

exercise 5

If your baby can briefly hold his head while lying on his stomach, try bending his arms at the elbow joints in front of his chest and holding him in this position for 4-5 seconds. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times.

exercise 6

If the child begins to independently rely on his forearms for a short time, grab the bent elbow joints with your palms and slightly raise your shoulders above the table surface. Hold your baby in this position for 3-5 seconds. Repeat the procedure 5 times.

exercise 7

Next, complicate the previous exercise: in the same position, swing it to the sides, transferring your body weight from one forearm to the other for 4-6 seconds. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times.

exercise 8

If the child has confident support on his forearms while lying on his stomach, teach him to straighten and lean on his outstretched arms. To do this, hold the baby in the chest and pelvis area, face down. Lift it above the table with a hovering motion toward you, and move it with your palms along the surface. Stop at the end of each movement and briefly shift his body weight onto his straightened arms. Repeat the exercise 5-7 times.

exercise 9

Give your child the opportunity to hold himself on outstretched arms. Stimulate him for this by pushing his chest up with your palm. Let the time during which the baby maintain this position be determined by his desire.

exercise 10

The next exercise is walking on your hands. Take the baby in your arms with his back to you. Hold it in the chest area with one hand, and in the pelvis area with the other. Move him to a horizontal position so that he rests his hands on the table. At the beginning of a motor skill exercise, help him move his hands. Repeat the exercise 2-3 times. In this case, the minimum load on the child’s arms will be if you support him in the chest and pelvis area. As muscle strength in the arms increases, the exercise can be made more difficult by supporting the child only in the pelvis and legs.

how to strengthen baby's arm muscles

A good addition to the exercises would be a hand massage. It can be used before or after exercise. How to strengthen the muscles of a child’s hands with the help of massage, see the link hand massage.

*Articles on massage, exercise therapy and doctor’s recommendations are for informational purposes only and do not constitute advertising of services.

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How to do a massage correctly

During the procedures, you can turn on calm meditative or classical music. The person performing the massage should be calm and relaxed: through touch, the child perceives mood and emotions.

Each technique is repeated no more than 8 times. The main thing for babies aged 4 months is to learn to understand hand movements and relax under their influence. The child is placed on his back. Begin the hand massage with stroking: it should be light and soft. Pressing or pinching is not acceptable. Hands are stroked in the direction from the hands to the shoulders in a circular motion. To strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, at the end of the massage, the baby is allowed to grab his thumbs with his palms. Over time, the child will learn to pull himself up and hold himself in a sitting position.

How to massage the abdomen: place the baby on his back and stroke the tummy with your palms clockwise, without touching the liver area. After this, rub the oblique abdominal muscles with light pressure. Movements should be slow and not cause discomfort. At the end of the exercise, the fingers move upward, barely touching the baby’s skin.

To work on the spine and legs, the baby is placed on his back. Holding hands and holding the head, the baby is lifted. Hold for a few seconds and carefully return to the starting position. The result of the exercise is strengthening the muscles of the legs and back, neck, and abs.

To work the legs, place your palms on the inner and upper thighs. The movements are made in a clockwise direction, then a few light pinches are made with the thumb and index finger of the right hand. Left - supports the lower leg. The feet are rubbed and kneaded with the fingers, then along the outer side of the lower leg and thigh from the feet to the groin area.

The chest is massaged with light movements from the center to the hips and armpits. You can make fan-shaped or wave-like movements along the surface of the chest with your fingertips.

The back is massaged with the child lying on his stomach. Start with gentle stroking and kneading. Then they move on to pinching the longitudinal muscles: the gluteal muscles are worked first, and rise in the direction of movement to the seventh vertebra of the neck. They descend along the spine back to the gluteal muscles. The session ends with calm stroking.

Exercises to strengthen the arms and back of a 4-7 month old baby

You can and should do gymnastics with your baby from birth. The child's body has a weak spine, so training should be carried out under the supervision of specialists. For newborns with muscle tension and hypertonicity, a course of massage is often additionally prescribed. With the help of back strengthening exercises for babies, you can not only improve the physical development of the baby, but also help the baby actively explore the world around him.

Physical development of a baby at six months

At five or six months, infants are very inquisitive. They begin to smile consciously and show their emotions. Now they can easily hold their head while lying on their back and tummy, they can control the movements of their arms and legs, grab bright objects and toys, and look at them for a long time. Just lying there and doing nothing is not for such curious little ones. Already from the fourth month they are interested in everything that is around.

On topic: Exercises for the upper arms to remove fat

Important! At this age, children roll over well and actively from back to stomach and back, and many try to sit down. All abilities and new skills should be taken into account when planning a set of classes.

From the age of four months, the baby begins to explore his own body. From a mental point of view, the processes of improving the first skills in speech begin - the baby can already pronounce individual syllables and sounds. Now thinking and attention develop.

The baby stays awake much longer - sleeps no more than 15-16 hours a day. The rest of the time he needs tactile, emotional, and speech contact.

Note! When performing gymnastic exercises, you should not forget about all types of communication with your child. Without the three methods of interaction described above, even the most anatomically useful exercises to make the baby healthier will not bring the desired result.

A child at six months can already consciously control his limbs, this gives him great pleasure. Exercises and gymnastics, massage and communication with mom will also delight the little one.

Gymnastics for infants

Complex physical exercises optimized for infants. Basics of planning medical gymnastics and infant massage.

1. Massage the child's shoulder girdle. The main massage techniques are stroking, with a total of 6 - 8.

2. Raising the baby from a supine position.

3. Foot massage using stroking movements. The total number of massage effects is up to 8.

4. Exercise on the protective reflex in a horizontal position on the stomach. The duration of the exercise is 15-20 seconds.

5. Massage-stroking the back of the baby, 4-5 massage effects.

6. Exercise for the reflex of the back extensor muscles, 2-3 rounds on each side.

7. Massage of the child's abdominal region. Movements are performed strictly in a clockwise direction, bypassing the right hypochondrium (liver projection). Stroking massage techniques: 5-6 circular movements, 5-6 times the hands move towards each other, 5-6 times along an oblique line from the periphery to the center (the oblique abdominal muscles are involved). This complex is completed again with five circular movements.

8. Exercise for the abdominal muscles, 2-3 repetitions.

9. Massage the child’s feet with stroking movements. The total number of movements is 5-6.

10. Exercise on foot reflexes. Achieved by bending and straightening the feet in turn (2-4 times).

11. Exercise for the repulsion reflex. The baby is placed in a crawling position. Performed 2 to 4 times.

12. Massage the baby's chest. Massage movements – stroking in a circular direction and vibration. Number of repetitions – 5-6.

13. Walking reflex exercise. Performed in a standing position with repetitions up to 2-4 times.

14. Shaking hands.

15. “Folding” the child into the “embryo” position - press the arms to the chest, bring the legs closer to the stomach, and pull the head as close to the chest as possible. Holding in this position, rock the baby 2-3 times.

16. Child rolling on a ball.

Nuances in the technique of therapeutic gymnastics and the secrets of massage techniques for any child. Detailed description of exercises for infants.

Detailed analysis of exercises and massage techniques.

1. Massage the baby’s upper shoulder girdle. The baby is placed on his back with his legs facing the person performing the massage. Give the child your thumb of one hand, which he will definitely grab thanks to his grasp reflex. Perform the massage with the opposite hand. Then do the opposite - let the baby grab your finger of the other hand, and perform the technique with your free hand. The massage is carried out from the hands to the armpit a total of 6-8 times.

2. Transfer the baby from a supine position to a vertical position. Invite your child to grab your two thumbs with his hands at once, holding his hands with your other fingers. Slowly and gently pull the baby towards you, forcing him to rise. Children usually perform this exercise joyfully and without fatigue. Each time, increase the baby's lifting angle. The duration of the exercise can be started from a few seconds, and gradually increased to 1 minute. You can repeat up to 7-8 times. When performing the exercise, praise and encourage your baby.

3. Foot massage using stroking movements. The child lies in a position similar to a shoulder girdle massage. Massage of the left leg is performed with the right hand, the left hand fixes the leg itself. The right leg is held by the right hand. Stroking is performed in the direction from the ankle to the thigh of the infant along the posterior-outer surface of the leg, bypassing the kneecap and the front surface of the lower leg, ending in the inguinal fold. The total number of massage effects is the same as for a hand massage.

4. Exercise on the protective reflex from a position on the stomach. The child is placed on his tummy with emphasis on his arms, legs spread wide apart. The essence of the protective reflex is that a child in this position will reflexively raise his head and turn it to the side. This exercise wonderfully trains the muscles of the neck and chest, and is recommended to be performed before meals. Each time the execution time increases from a few seconds to ten to twenty minutes.

5. Massage-stroking the baby’s back. The baby is in the tummy position, with your hands supporting him under the chest. Using the back surface of the hand, stroking massage movements are performed on the skin of the back in the direction from the sacrococcygeal area to the neck area, then in the opposite direction. Number of repetitions up to 5 times. For a child up to 2 months of age, stroking is carried out with one hand, the other hand gently holds the child, since he cannot yet hold himself well in a position on his stomach. For children older than this age, stroking movements are performed with both hands, since such children no longer need fixation when positioned on their stomach.

6. Exercise for the reflex of the back extensor muscles. Holding the baby's legs with your hand, place him on his side. Using stroking movements in the longitudinal direction along the spine, move two fingers from the lumbosacral region to the beginning of the spinal column and back. This exercise activates the specific talent reflex of the skin of the back and strengthens the back extensor muscles very well. The exercise is repeated, placing the child on the other side.

7. Massage of the child's abdominal region. The child lies on his back. The following stroking massage techniques are performed on the abdomen:

- 5-6 movements of the arms in a circle. The movements are performed strictly in a clockwise direction, bypassing the right hypochondrium, where the liver area is projected.

- Hands move towards each other 5-6 times. This exercise promotes the passage of gases in the intestines and normalizes impaired peristalsis. It is carried out as follows: the right hand is placed with the palm on the upper left square of the baby’s abdomen, and the back surface of the left hand is placed on the lower right square, and with slow counter movements the hands move until they meet in the peri-umbilical area.

- 5-6 times along the oblique line of the abdomen from the periphery (upper posterolateral surface of the body) to the center. With this type of exercise, the oblique abdominal muscles are maximally used.

This gymnastic complex ends again with several circular movements in the navel area. Abdominal massage can be used separately from the entire set of exercises as a means of helping with colic and difficulty defecating. Under no circumstances should you make strong or sudden movements when performing it.

8. Exercise designed to strengthen the abdominal muscles. The child lies in a supine position with his feet facing you. Place your hands under the baby's head and back and rest his legs against your stomach. Slowly lift your baby with both hands to a sitting position, then return him to the lying position. At the same time, check for support on the child’s legs. This exercise prepares the baby well for later sitting.

9. Massage the child’s feet using stroking movements. In the same starting position, lift the baby’s leg, securing it with your hand under the shin. With your other hand, grab your baby's foot so that your big toe is on the sole and your index and middle toes are on the back of the foot. Drawing a figure eight with your thumb, move from your toes to your heel 5-6 times. Repeat this exercise on the other leg, holding it with your opposite hand.

10. Exercise for the foot muscles responsible for flexion and extension. Quick compression movements are applied to the sole in the toe area, in response to which a reflex flexion of the toes occurs. When compression is applied along the outer edge of the foot, a reflex extension of the toes occurs. The exercise is repeated 3-4 times.

11. Exercise for the repulsion reflex or “frog”. The child is placed on his stomach with his knees apart and his feet close to each other. The position resembles a sitting frog. Avoid putting excessive pressure on the child in this position to avoid injury to fragile joints. The fingers of your hands go under the back of your feet, your thumbs touching both soles. At the same time, the child’s crawling reflex is activated - the baby sharply straightens his legs, trying to move forward and crawl forward. When performing a gymnastic exercise, you need to make sure that the child is lying on a comfortable, hard surface that is safe from falling. Your hands must not leave the table, otherwise the baby will not be able to move.

12. Massage the baby's chest. In the position of the baby on the back, stroking movements of the skin of the baby's chest are carried out simultaneously with both hands, with the direction of movement for the right hand in the direction of movement clockwise from the lower third of the sternum, through the armpits, the middle of the collarbone and back. The movements of the left hand are mirrored. To activate the respiratory center, sharp, non-intensive pressure is applied to the child’s chest clasped with both hands. Massage techniques are done with repetitions 5-6 times.

13. Walking exercise. The child is picked up in a vertical position, with the top of his head facing him, with a slight lean forward. The baby's feet should touch a hard surface. Hold your baby and let him walk forward. It is very important to ensure that the child rests on his full foot and does not walk on tiptoes.

14. Shaking hands. The child is already slightly tired from gymnastics and massage, so his hands are lightly shaken. If children in the first 4 weeks of life have arm tone that does not allow them to perform this exercise, do not force it, but put it off for a while until the baby’s nervous system matures. Instead of shaking, use simple stroking movements with your hands.

15. Rocking the baby in the fetal position. This exercise will require some skill on your part. The child is laid on his back, his hands and feet are grabbed by one of your hands. At the same time, strictly ensure that the knees are apart and the feet are connected. Your other hand secures the baby's head to the chest. The child is rocked in this position in different directions 2-3 times. This “tumbler” exercise promotes the proper development of the infant’s nervous system and its balance organ. It is acceptable to perform rocking 3-4 times a day.

16. Completes the set of exercises with infants with an exercise on the ball. For this, a large colored inflatable ball is used. The child is placed tummy down on the ball, the legs are fixed wider. Carefully begin to rotate the ball slightly in different directions. Do not use a large amplitude of movement of the ball, as the baby may slip and fall from it and get stress instead of pleasant sensations. This exercise should be performed for as long as the child can withstand without whims. Swinging on the ball gently engages all muscle groups of the child and trains the vestibular apparatus well.

The total duration of massage and gymnastics for infants is approximately a quarter of an hour. However, this does not mean that every time the child must endure a fixed time and complete all the exercises, even against his desire and mood. Massage procedures and gymnastic exercises should bring positive emotions and not be performed to the point of exhaustion of the child.

The given set of massage techniques and gymnastic exercises can be performed both in full and selectively for the development of certain muscle groups. The massage should be postponed until the next time if the child has symptoms of a cold, if the child is not in the mood, if he is capricious and does not want to communicate. In such cases, it will be enough to perform some exercises, and not the whole complex. It is also considered possible to carry out massage and gymnastics for infants in several approaches throughout the day.

An important point when performing massage and physical exercises is that the child receives positive emotions from the exercises themselves and from communication with an adult. Because it is a good attitude towards the procedures that will motivate the baby to want to do them longer and more often.

Remember that all your massage techniques and gymnastic exercises for children of such an early age should be carried out gently, without haste, with a small amplitude, without sharp or strong pressure, and always with a smile and a friendly mood towards the baby.
Author of the publication: Alexey Kulagin

The benefits of gymnastics for babies

6 months is a new stage in a baby’s life, a kind of boundary between unconscious and conscious life. Very soon the child will sit up, crawl, and then begin to walk. Gymnastics at this time is carried out with the aim of developing motor skills and promoting the manifestation of new skills. The daily program should include exercises to strengthen the back, chest, arms, and stimulate the development of crawling. Thanks to such activities, the baby will be able to sit down on his own faster and then stand up.

Important! You cannot force the baby to sit down - this is fraught with unpleasant consequences for the spine. Helping muscle groups get stronger is an excellent initiative on behalf of caring parents.

Benefits of gymnastics:

• The baby begins to better understand his body - this is what worries the baby most at six months.
• The joints and bone apparatus are strengthened, and the muscles become more elastic. Due to this, when the child begins to assume a vertical position, he will sit down faster, be able to maintain his balance for a long time, and then get up and walk.
• It has a positive effect on the immune system, as blood supply to the limbs, muscle tissue and skin will improve.

Additional Information. Children who do gymnastics every day get sick less, and also more easily tolerate diseases that occur with virtually no complications.

• Mom's touch and tactile communication have a positive effect on the baby's nervous system. He falls asleep faster, sleeps well, and has an excellent appetite.
• Children begin to speak faster, develop harmoniously, showing excellent learning abilities.

Note! If a child has problems with the musculoskeletal system or neurological disorders, he is prescribed to perform physical therapy exercises and therapeutic massage. The procedures are carried out under the supervision of a specialist.

Weak shoulder girdle in a child

During its development and growth, a baby in the first year of life requires special attention from both parents and doctors, because a newly born baby learns about the world, gets acquainted with everything new and pleases the “newly made” parents with his little “exploits.”

However, it happens that the time of happy motherhood is somewhat overshadowed by the diagnosis heard from the doctor - the child has a weak shoulder girdle, and then the mother is in panic and fear, recklessly trying to help the child, and sometimes, without realizing it, to harm.

Let's figure out what kind of diagnosis this is, how it manifests itself and what young parents need to know?

Muscle hypotension in children is a manifestation of muscle weakness that can be observed in any part of the body. Most often, this condition develops in infants, manifesting itself as a certain weakening of muscle fibers in response to nervous stimulation.

In response to a certain stimulus, muscle fibers contract slowly and do not provide the same degree of muscle response as muscles in a normal state. Weakness of the shoulder girdle is one of the manifestations of muscle hypotonicity in the upper body.

As a rule, this condition is a consequence of certain pathologies and diseases; in rare cases, it can exist separately.

The cause of the development of hypotension in the shoulder girdle can be various lesions and diseases of the central nervous system, as well as genetic burden, congenital diseases or muscle malformations. It is for this reason that, having discovered such a condition at the next visit, the pediatrician refers this baby to a neurologist to resolve the issue of the proposed diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Weakness or hypotonia of the muscles of the shoulder girdle manifests itself in a baby as follows:

– the baby cannot crawl while holding its body with its arms;

– does not hold the toy well in the hands;

– cannot lift the upper part of the body when lying on the tummy, and if it does, it immediately lowers;

– difficult to roll over from stomach to back and vice versa.

Those. it turns out that when the shoulder girdle is weak, the muscles in this area are in good shape and are not able to provide an adequate muscular response.

Diagnosis of such a pathology is carried out by a pediatrician and when examining the baby, as well as monitoring physiological reflexes, the doctor may suspect this problem. Sometimes mothers go to the doctor on their own with a complaint that her baby lags behind his peers: does not rise when lying on his stomach, does not crawl, etc.

How to strengthen a child’s shoulder girdle and what needs to be done? Once the baby has been diagnosed with this, treatment should be started immediately, because... timeliness of therapy is the key to successful healing.

If there is a concomitant pathology, for example, from the nervous system, then the doctor prescribes complex conservative treatment in combination with therapeutic massage.

If the manifestation of shoulder girdle weakness is an isolated symptom and the child is in a state of complete health, then strengthening the child’s shoulder girdle with the help of massage and physical therapy is the optimal and, perhaps, the most basic treatment.

It is best if this type of massage is carried out by a specialist who knows all the developmental features of children in the first year of life.

Like any massage for children in the first year of life, you should start with stroking movements, smoothly turning into rubbing, kneading, hand movements and end the procedure with stroking.

Massage of the shoulder girdle of a child is carried out with elements of general massage, so that all parts of the body are involved to some extent; it is done in different positions of the child: lying on the stomach, on the back, so that all places are involved in the process as much as possible.

Massage exercises for the shoulder girdle for children are of great benefit not only for this muscle group, but also for the nervous system, which contributes to strengthening and favorable development in all areas of the baby.

Remember that, as with any massage, it is important that the child is in a good mood and does not experience discomfort. The course of such healing procedures can be up to 10 sessions, which from time to time, depending on the baby’s health condition, should be repeated until the desired effect is achieved.

The prognosis for muscle weakness of the shoulder girdle is usually favorable if treated in a timely manner and following all recommendations.

If this condition of the baby is left unattended, it threatens even greater muscle weakening and the development of serious disorders of the spine and musculoskeletal system.

As shoulder girdle weakness progresses, the child’s entire body suffers, the baby lags behind his peers in physical development, and the most dangerous complication is muscular dystrophy.

Be vigilant and promptly seek help from specialists!

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Exercises to strengthen your arms and back

Since the baby’s activity has increased, the exercises are carried out more energetically. The child himself will be interested in performing certain physical actions.

It is better to organize activities that are accompanied by music, reading poetry, nursery rhymes, or singing songs (for example, “The giraffe has spots, spots, spots, spots everywhere!”, “Rails, rails, sleepers, sleepers”).

At 4 months

How can you strengthen the arms of a 4-month-old baby in a playful way and develop their coordination of movements - perform the “Catch Me” exercise.

"Catch me" with educational toy

The baby lies on his back. Then he is asked to take the toy in one hand, and then place the second one next to the other hand. It is desirable that these are musical toys. The baby should try to take both toys and hold them with both hands for a while.

At 5 months

Exercises to strengthen the arms of a 5-month-old baby are called “Kittens or Puppies.” They will subsequently help you master crawling.

The baby lies on his tummy, and the mother places her outstretched palm under him. Slowly lifting the baby and holding the back with the second palm, it is worth fixing the position when the baby rests on the surface with his knees and hands. The baby should be returned to its original position very slowly.

At 5 months, you can also try doing the “Hair Chair”, which will help the baby sit down. The baby, lying on his back, should grab his mother’s index fingers and hold them. The mother slowly begins to lift the baby’s body, as if bringing him to the “sit” position.

Important! You cannot sit the child down; the angle between the surface and the baby’s position should be 30-45 degrees. The initiative to change the position comes from the child, so there is no need to forcibly drag him.

At 6 months

How to strengthen the back muscles of a 6 month old baby? The “Feather” exercise will help with this.

The child lies on his back, the mother places her palm under the back and slightly lifts the baby above the surface. The second hand secures the body from above and lies on the tummy. As a rule, the baby bends a little, straining his back and stomach. This can be done 5-10 times in a row.

Strengthening your baby's back

There are many other exercises for infants to strengthen their back muscles. Pediatricians strongly recommend placing the baby on his tummy more often - this is not only good for the baby’s muscle corset, but also helps him look at the world around him.

At 7 months

If your little one is already trying to sit up, you can try a new exercise with him, “Tin Soldier,” which will show him what a vertical body position is. It is worth grasping the baby’s chest on both sides with both hands and holding it with the legs supported on a hard surface for several seconds. It is acceptable to repeat 2-4 times.

All children, without exception, love to have their feet tickled. You can move your index finger from heel to toe, and the baby will begin to bend his knees. This exercise will help strengthen your foot muscles.

How to strengthen a baby's back?

How to strengthen the back of an infant is a pressing question for mothers whose babies are 5-6 months old and older.
It is not advisable for a child to sit with a round back, especially in the first year of life. If there are ways to prevent the negative consequences of a weak back and even the slightest likelihood of them, then you need to use them. The role of parents in the physical development of a child in the first year of life is no less than the role of doctors, massage therapists, exercise instructors, swimming instructors, etc. Constantly updating knowledge about the life and development of children is very important, especially for those who are having their first child.

If it is not possible to invite a specialist to work with your child, then you need to learn to work with him yourself, fortunately there is the Internet, although it will not be as effective, but it is better than “it will go away on its own.” In other cases, you need to look for specialists, because it will be more efficient and faster, and immediately in the right direction.

In any craft there are many nuances that we do not notice, but the quality result depends on them.

Why strengthen a baby's back?

1. A strong back provides an upright posture, freedom and, most importantly, the possibility of many movements.
2. With a strong back, children confidently sit down and crawl, stand on a support, and begin to walk.
3. Strong back muscles allow the child to hold himself sitting or standing for a long time during games or other activities.
4. 4. Strong back muscles of the child prevent static deformations of the spine.
5. A balanced and strong muscular corset of a child allows the physiological curves of the spine, lordosis and kyphosis to form correctly.
6. The strong muscular corset of the child’s torso, where the back muscles occupy the largest part, is designed and works in such a way that it relieves the spine from the load, due to its uniform distribution over the entire back.

It is important that the muscles are strengthened evenly so that individual areas of the back are not overloaded, because... this may cause warping.

The main functions of the back muscles: maintaining a vertical posture, braking when bending the body, straightening the body, participating in lateral bending of the body, interaction with the ribs, bones of the shoulder girdle, humerus, pelvic bones. There are actually more functions, but these are the ones that interest us primarily.

Let's first consider how and when the back begins to work in children. In newborns, the first visible signs of the work of the back muscles appear at 1.5 - 2 months, when they begin to raise their head while lying on their stomach. At this moment, the upper back and neck are partially involved.

Normally, children at 2-3 months begin to raise their heads on their own and no intervention is required. But there are also calls to our center with problems of weakness of the shoulder girdle, neck, shoulder girdle, when the child cannot raise his head while lying on his stomach. In such cases, you need to slightly strengthen the newborn's back.

How to strengthen the back muscles of a 2-3 month old child? Each age period, even months, has its own characteristics of strengthening the back. In newborn children at 2 - 3 months of age, we strengthen the back mainly in the child's lying position.

At this age, you need to be more careful with the neck, it is an easily vulnerable place, and bending of the cervical spine is very undesirable. I would not recommend that parents do many of the exercises themselves with a child at this age, only the simplest ones in the form of inversions, fixation on the stomach, passive arm gymnastics.

It is better to call an experienced children's massage therapist.

In general, here is how to strengthen the back of a newborn at 2 - 3 months: among the strengthening effects, we use a stimulating back massage, a neutral non-stimulating neck massage, laying on the stomach with emphasis on the elbows or placing a cushion under the chest, from gymnastics: reflex exercises, such as reflex Golanta, Bauer crawling (be sure to place the mother’s palm under the child’s face), rollovers from back to stomach, passive gymnastics for the upper limbs and neck.

The next age period is 4 months. A weak back in a 4-month-old child can be indicated by the baby’s inability to hold his head on his elbows while lying on his stomach, or simply not hold his head in this position, as well as the inability to turn his head to the sides, watching an object, for example.

How to strengthen a baby's back at 4 months? You can use the same exercises as at 2-3 months described above. To these exercises you can add “hovering” and pushing the child’s legs from the belly of the instructor-massage therapist, reminiscent of Bauer crawling, but in this case the child is in the hands of the massage therapist, so you can change the angle.

This exercise is for children’s massage therapists; mothers who have no experience in children’s massage and gymnastics with infants should not do it.

How to strengthen the back of a 5-6 month old baby?

Closer to 5-6 months, the child can already be verticalized for a short time, but without support on the legs. The baby can be sat down for a few seconds, held vertically in your arms for longer, and the backrest raised higher in the chair. The vertical pose itself for the back is already a kind of strengthening exercise.

The first attempts to hold himself up while sitting look very uncertain, the child wobbles in different directions, while sitting he can fold forward, but every day the child holds his back more confidently.

By periodically holding the child upright and doing exercises with him, we accustom his body, the spine in particular, to the load, which provides an incentive for bone growth, their compaction, and the replacement of cartilage with bone tissue. The muscular system reacts in a similar way, experiencing new loads, the muscles become thicker and stronger, i.e. grow.

The main thing that happens at this age stage is the familiarization of the brain and the entire nervous system with a different body position. The first verticalization of the child, firstly, gives a signal to the brain about the need for structural changes in the skeleton and muscles, and secondly, the brain, vestibular apparatus, muscles and peripheral nerves learn to work in harmony in one circuit.

There is a need to maintain a vertical posture for the body, and this is a complex and step-by-step task for the body. In order to keep himself sitting or standing, a chain reaction occurs between the vestibular apparatus, nervous system, and muscles.

So, next we will consider practically how to strengthen a child’s back at 5-6 months, exercises:

1.Tonic massage for the back.

2. Bend the child, fixing his legs. In this case, the bends will be passive-active, because a child most likely at 5 or 6 months will not be able to rise independently from a bending position, although there are such children.

The legs are fixed above the knee, but below the hip joint, the child is turned with his back to the massage therapist (mother), the child’s feet are suspended, without support, one sleeve of the adult supports the child under the chest, the torso leans forward.

This exercise is not advisable after eating, or with increased intracranial pressure.

3. Holding in a vertical position. We fix the child, as in the previous exercise, but do not tilt it, but hold it vertically. When the child begins to hold himself upright at least a little, we need to use this and develop this skill.

The development or strengthening of the child’s back here is that we begin from the vertical position of the baby by slightly tilting it to the right, left, and forward. More precisely, this will be an attempt to tilt the lower part of the body, and the newborn will reflexively try to keep the upper part vertical.

Our task at the moment of such a tilt is not to overdo it with the angle, otherwise the child’s fragile back muscles will not be able to withstand it and he will sharply bend down. You need to find the line beyond which the muscles cannot hold the body, and always bring the tilt close to this line, while holding the safety hand in front of the child, but without touching him, otherwise he will lie on his hand and there will be no back strain.

Every day this edge will be further and further and the angle of inclination will be greater, because... the muscles will get stronger. Then you can make it more difficult with an angle, including while bending over and describing a circle in front of you so that the muscles of different groups work in turn.

4. While riding on a fitball, you can strengthen your child’s back muscles by rolling him forward and letting him take the toy. In this exercise, the toy or object should be at arm's length and slightly above eye level. To take the toy, the child will have to strain his back, slightly raise his body and reach for the object.

How to strengthen a child’s back at 7-8 months?

At 7-8 months, children usually sit up on their own and the issue of a strong back is very important for this age.

But it happens, quite often, that a child is just beginning to make some attempts to support his back at this age. With the right approach, strengthening your back at 7-8 months will go faster than 2 months earlier.

Of the exercises to strengthen the back of a 7-8 month old child, you can use those described above and add:

1. You can use the exercises described above.

2. Sitting the child down for a short period of time, supporting him by the hand, balancing while sitting.

3. If, when bending forward, the baby cannot yet lift himself up on his own, then at the moment of tilting there should be at least resistance to tilting.

It is this resistance of the back, or you can call it an attempt to stay upright, that will be the most useful “point” from which you can push off and go further in strengthening the baby’s back.

In this case, we simply repeat the bends, and this resistance will very soon become much stronger and then the child will be able to lift himself from the tilt position.

At 7-8 months, long-term static vertical loads are harmful for children with weak backs, but short-term ones will be useful, because They signal to the body the need for additional energy and nutrients for the most loaded areas of the body at the time of virtualization.

In general, strengthening occurs this way, from the moment a signal is given to the body, and then a response in the form of compaction, growth, thickening of bones, muscles, supply of nutrients in tissues, etc. But the body needs a signal where exactly to focus its “attention” and in what form.

Not a single child will sit down right away without trying, it is at the moment of trying that the most valuable and important thing happens, the body learns and grows stronger. If by age it is time to be able to do something, then you can help the child learn it, there is nothing bad in this, on the contrary, the child will master this stage and “move on” further.

You can ask me clarifying questions about how to strengthen a child’s back at 7-8 months by WhatsApp +79266057470. We have an Instagram @happybabymassage.ru and a YouTube channel happybabymassage, where there are videos on the physical development of children at different ages.

How to strengthen a child’s back at 9-10 months?

Usually, a weak back at this age is indicated by the fact that the child sits with a round back or cannot sit for a long time, but there are also those who still cannot sit down at all. For strengthening exercises for the back at 9-10 months and older, I recommend using squats.

Why squats? When a child rises from a squatting position, in addition to strengthening the legs, the iliopsoas muscle is strengthened; it is located in the pelvis.

This muscle is attached to the lumbar vertebrae and is a very large postural muscle that maintains physiological lumbar lordosis. In addition, when doing squats, the child must keep his back straight, and this is an additional isometric load for the back muscles.

Of course, you need to make sure that the child squats with a straight back. This is the main thing that can be added to the exercises described above to strengthen the back of a child aged 9-10 months and older.

For children after one year, strengthening the back can be done through gymnastics. The older the child, the more difficult the exercises can be.

Massage alone cannot strengthen children's backs; massage is used as a method of warming up the muscles, and is done intensively.

Corsets also do not strengthen the back; on the contrary, the back does not work in a corset; it is used to train the ligamentous apparatus in a certain position, and strengthening is only due to gymnastics.

Source: https://happybabymassage.ru/kak-ukrepit-spinu-grudnomu-rebenku/

General recommendations and contraindications

Evgeny Komarovsky, a Russian pediatrician, recommends:

• If possible, and the weather permits, then conduct classes outdoors in the summer, in a warm room in the winter, and completely undress the child.
• Gymnastics always begins with a massage to prepare the body for subsequent stress.
• It is better to conduct classes in the first half of the day, as they have a stimulating effect.
• Under no circumstances should you exercise with your baby if he doesn’t want to, is capricious and cries, so that he doesn’t subsequently refuse to do gymnastic exercises.

Gymnastics is carried out when the child is cheerful and cheerful

From a very early age, your child should be taught to take care of himself and his health. Gymnastics and exercises will help him subsequently always be cheerful, active and energetic.

Goals of classes for kids

The development of hand motor skills in infants helps to stabilize the functioning of the infant’s brain, quickly gain new abilities and achieve some skills after just one or two months. Developmental classes can be conducted from the newborn period, when the baby is just beginning to get acquainted with the environment. It is necessary to carry out such activities by following a special algorithm.

Threading beads onto a thread perfectly stimulates the development of fine motor skills in infants.

Gymnastics for infants: fun and effective exercises

Gymnastics for infants is an excellent way to strengthen the immune system, develop the child’s muscle and bone system, and relieve him of hypertension. In addition to the obvious medical benefits, home exercises for the baby literally from the first days become an important link with the mother - while doing the exercises, communication and tactile contact occur. This helps to develop the baby’s emotional sphere, speech recognition centers, and prerequisites for future speaking.

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If parents can make daily gymnastics for an infant interesting and educational, he will do it with great pleasure. In this article we will tell you how to do gymnastics that is not only healthy, but also fun, which your baby will definitely enjoy.

Benefits and goals

Much has been said and written about the benefits of gymnastics for humans. But not everyone knows that for a baby a set of physical exercises is more than just a load on the muscles and joints. Since infants cannot yet perform exercises on their own, exercises are always done together with mom or dad. It is important for a baby to feel the closeness of his mother; through her he learned about the world during nine months of pregnancy, and she is his main guide in this world in the first months of his independent life. Thus, exercise enriches the baby’s inner world and gives him much-needed communication with his mother.

Gymnastics is an excellent addition to massage. In combination, both types of effects help in correcting muscle hypertonicity, which is characteristic of all newborns and infants up to at least six months. Gymnastics is recommended for the proper development of the hip joint in case of dysplasia. Also, thanks to gymnastics, it is possible to correct torticollis.

Therapeutic gymnastics in combination with massage is prescribed to a child with a sunken and funnel-shaped chest, with hypotonia, with valgus and varus deformities of the legs.

For hyperactive and easily excitable children, relaxing gymnastics and relaxation massage are recommended to strengthen the nervous system. On the contrary, tonic and restorative gymnastics are recommended for lethargic and apathetic children.

In case of identified pathologies, therapeutic massage is prescribed, and appropriate gymnastics is prescribed from the exercise therapy complex. For healthy children, gymnastics and general massage are recommended for the prevention of pathologies and for better physical and mental development.

On the Internet, interested parents can find a large number of different exercises for children under one year old, but there are not many truly exciting ones among them, and it is the game component that is the most important. If a child is forced day after day to do something that he has long been bored with, there will be little benefit from such gymnastics. Therefore, we decided to collect only the best exercises that will not let your baby get bored and will bring many benefits to his health.

Rules

Fun gymnastics for infants can be carried out from the first days of life. There are no age restrictions. But parents should understand well that physical activity should be proportionate to age; the baby cannot be overloaded. Conduct classes daily, you can do gymnastics 2 or 3 times a day, but the duration of each lesson should not exceed 5-10 minutes. Gradually, the mother can increase the time of classes and by 8-9 months the duration of a gymnastics lesson can already be 20 minutes, and closer to a year - already half an hour.

A few simple rules will help you organize activities with your baby correctly.

• Try to do your classes at the same time. It is optimal to do this in the morning and after a midday nap, but in the evening, when you give your baby a light and relaxing massage before bathing and going to bed, it is better to avoid gymnastic exercises so as not to stimulate the nervous system. Overstimulation will prevent your child from falling asleep quickly and soundly.
• Before gymnastics, always do a light general or therapeutic massage prescribed by your doctor for a specific disease.

Before the start of exercises, the baby’s muscles should be “warmed up” and prepared. This will help avoid pain and sprains.

• The room in which the lesson is held must be ventilated and should not be too cold or too hot. It is best to keep the temperature at 21 degrees Celsius. If it’s summer outside and you have the opportunity, do gymnastics outside.
• Do not load your baby immediately after eating; it is also undesirable to start exercising on an empty stomach. The best time for charging is the interval between feedings (one and a half hours after meals).
• Do not exercise on a soft bed. The baby's spine will not be in the correct position on it. For newborns and infants up to six months, use a changing table and do the exercises on a regular table.

For more mobile and active children after six months, a floor surface on which you lay a cold-resistant polyurethane foam mat will be more suitable.

• Always start exercising in a good mood. Children subtly sense their mother’s condition, and if she is in a bad mood, they will also be capricious.
• Add variety to the set of exercises that you have chosen as your main one. Gradually begin to carry out individual exercises in the bathroom, practice swimming, add exercises on a gymnastic ball - a fitball - to your usual exercises.
• The best gymnastics activity is a joint activity between mother and baby. This is especially true when children begin to imitate adults, that is, after 9-10 months.

Never force a child to study against his will. If he hasn’t gotten enough sleep for some reason, he’s in a bad mood (yes, babies can be in a bad mood too!), something is bothering him, it’s better to postpone the exercises until the moment when the child is completely healthy, cheerful, cheerful and in good spirits for communication.

Fine motor skills for babies from 6 to 10 months

As a baby grows up, he or she necessarily develops new abilities, which his parents help him develop. From the age of six months, the baby already needs new toys. Use smaller toys, but under your strict supervision so that the baby does not swallow anything.

1. Babies of this age need rattles and colored plastic toys with securely fixed multi-colored beads and rings. The baby will touch these objects with his fingers, realizing the shape and size.
2. Stock up on items with buttons and keys. If desired, you can make them yourself. New toys are presented in a large assortment, so for babies from six months of age, entire play centers with music and lighting are suitable.
3. To develop fine motor skills in infants, play finger games with long text. Try to pay maximum attention to the conversation. Massage each finger so that the baby is interested in it and does not resist.

Advice to parents! Daily activities to develop fine motor skills in infants should begin by making sure that the baby is in a great mood. It is very important that finger games and massage are not accompanied by the whims of the baby.

To develop fine motor skills in a 10-month-old baby, legumes are suitable; it is important not to let the baby out of sight during this activity.

For children 10 months and older, it is allowed to use various cereals in order to develop fine motor skills. Just pour a few handfuls of buckwheat, peas, and pearl barley onto the table and let your child feel them. At this moment, do not leave the baby alone. For safe development of fingers, sew several rag bags, fill them with different types of cereals, and then give them to the baby so that he can feel what’s inside.

Contraindications

In itself, gymnastics for infants does not have many contraindications, but before starting exercise, the mother should consult a pediatrician. Usually children's doctors give permission willingly. And if the child has developmental disabilities, then the doctor will tell you how to do gymnastics correctly in your case. For example, with DTS (hip dysplasia), gymnastics can be performed directly with orthopedic “spacers” between the legs, but here you must definitely see how a specialist does it.

If the chest is deformed, increase the number of exercises aimed at stretching the pectoral muscles, and therefore exercises on a fitball will be useful.

For leg deformities, the basis of gymnastics are exercises for the feet, knees and hips, and for torticollis, there are very specific therapeutic exercises for strengthening the neck muscles.

Contraindications include a state of fever - with an elevated temperature, exercise can be harmful. You should not do gymnastics even when the baby suffers from colic, teething and other ailments.

With great caution and only with the permission of a doctor, gymnastics is performed for children with congenital heart defects, vascular diseases, hydrocephalus, large hernias, as well as paralysis and paresis of various origins.

For a healthy child, both static, passive exercises, which the mother performs for the baby who is lying down, and active ones, in which the child takes a direct and volitional part due to his age-related abilities and skills, are allowed and acceptable.

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Entertaining movements

From the variety of exercises for infants, we have selected only those that can rightfully be considered fun and effective. All of them have been “tested” by more than one generation of toddlers and are usually very popular with kids and their parents. From this list, every mother will be able to create an activity program for her baby according to his age. Gradually, the program can be complicated by repeating what was completed earlier and adding new exercises.

Newborns

A distinctive feature of gymnastics for the little ones is gentle and gentle touches, no pressure on the muscles during massage and exercise. Children sleep a lot, are little awake, and therefore one short lesson after morning hygiene procedures will be quite enough.

"Frog" . Place the baby on his back. Take him by the legs in the shin area, the mother’s palms cover the baby’s knees. Then make several bending movements, as if the baby is squatting, and then spread your legs to the sides with your knees outward - this way the baby will take the “frog” pose. Turn the baby over onto his tummy. Take hold of his feet and press lightly, the legs should also be spread to the “frog” pose.

• "Guard." Place the baby on your stomach. Stand behind and lightly grab your baby's shoulders. You need to support the baby quite a bit by the shoulders so that he can rest on his own elbows for a few seconds. Then spread your shoulders slightly to the sides - the baby will reflexively try to lift his head up. This exercise will help prepare your neck muscles to hold your head up on your own.

• "Bike". This exercise is especially popular with infants. While lying on your back, take your legs and alternately bring them to your tummy. This effect strengthens the abdominal muscles and reduces the incidence of colic. If the mother accompanies the movements with funny nursery rhymes, the baby will receive more pleasure and benefit. An example of a nursery rhyme for this exercise: “We go, we go, we twist, we twist, and when we get tired, we’ll rest, we’ll learn everything, we’ll see everything, we’ll go around the world in a circle!” "

Children from 2 to 4 months

For children aged 2-4 months, exercises to promote crawling must be added. To do this, you can complicate the already familiar “Frog” by pressing progressively on the feet so that the baby makes a reflexive movement forward on his stomach. Children become more emotional, and therefore do not skimp on rhymes and nursery rhymes, sing songs during classes.

"Umbrellas". Place the child on his back, grab his hands with your fingers, stretch the arms forward and rotate the hands in a circle, shake them and start rotating in the other direction. You can read a nursery rhyme to your child: “The umbrella is spinning in your hands, the rain is dozing in the clouds, I’ll turn it left and right, I’m flying to visit the rain!”

• "Dance". This exercise helps strengthen the leg muscles and is usually very popular with kids. Place the baby on his back, take his right leg with your hand and touch it with the heel of his left knee, then repeat the exercise with the opposite leg.

• "Little Frog Swimming" This exercise is performed in water - a large bath or swimming pool. For this you will need an orthopedic ring for the neck for bathing babies. Release the child with the circle into the water. Take the baby’s legs with your hands and bring them as in the “land” version - first to the stomach, then spread to the sides. Add a series of turns with a circle in the water - from your back to your stomach and back.

Babies from 5 to 7 months

At this age, kids can do a lot, be sure to use this to complicate gymnastics. The tasks become more difficult, but more interesting, and the kids begin to react to them more emotionally.

"Airplane." A favorite exercise for many generations. You can perform it on your mother's or father's hands. The child is grabbed by the tummy with one hand, the chest is supported with the other and lifted into the air. Reflexively, in a position on the stomach, the child spreads his arms like the wings of an airplane, strains the muscles of the abdomen and back, and trains his vestibular apparatus. Then it’s up to the parents’ imagination. You can imitate the sounds of an airplane, you can read about “airplane, take me on a flight,” or you can just laugh together, since children usually have a lot of fun with such an exercise.

"Brave pilot" This is a collaborative exercise. Mom should lie on her back, raise her legs and bend her knees at a right angle. She places the baby with his stomach in the crook of his legs between his knees and feet, holding him by his outstretched arms. Next, the mother can shake her legs and abs, which is useful after childbirth, and the baby will simply roll up and down, which is very useful for his vestibular system and the development of his arms, abdomen and back.

From 7 months and older

At this age, any flight of parental imagination is welcome. Vertical “steps” with the baby’s feet resting on the legs of an adult (with support in the armpits) are useful; transfers of the child from a sitting position to a lying position and vice versa, rollovers on the sides, back, stomach, and active crawling are useful.

"Wheelbarrow". Children are crazy about this exercise - it's funny and very useful. The mother lifts the child by the legs from a position lying on his stomach so that the child rests on the floor with his hands. So, on their hands, those practicing move forward. You can add funny rhymes, and fun will be guaranteed for the whole family: “Choo-choo-choo, choo-choo-choo, I’m rolling a wheelbarrow into the garden - I’ll take onions, cabbage and carrots with me!” "

• "Locomotive". Place the tape on the floor and tell them that you will move along it, like a train on rails. Place the child on his stomach, take the same position on the other side of the tape in parallel. With the sounds “Chuk-chukh” and “Tut-tu”, you begin to crawl from the starting point to the end of the tape, where the toy stands (the finishing stimulus for the baby). As you grow, you can make the exercise more difficult by making your “locomotive” crawl backwards.

Classes to develop fine motor skills in infants aged 0-3 months

During this period, the baby is not yet able to hold objects on his own; his hands are still clenched into fists. Therefore, in order to quickly relieve the tone of the baby’s muscles and fingers, you should limit yourself to only a light massage and stroking the fingers and palms. It is necessary to begin the development of fine motor skills in infants carefully and carefully:

• The first thing we do for development is to straighten the fingers on the arms slowly, so as not to frighten or injure the baby. We perform such movements alternately on each handle;
• when you have managed to relax your hands, you need to gently stretch your fingertips, it is better to do this with gentle circular movements;
• Gradually, with the help of massaging, we rise to the palm and begin to lightly press on it, and then do circular strokes.

Children say! I'm going home after studying. A man with a child is walking towards him. The child cries and laments: “I’ll tell my mother everything.” The man walks silently and suddenly starts running. The child stopped, I stopped. We look at each other with shock in our eyes. And the man, having run ten meters away, shouts: “First try to get home without me.”

Such simple activities for the development of fine motor skills in infants can be started from the first days of life, then muscle tone will disappear by 3 months, and the baby will be able to consciously hold some objects in his hands for a few seconds.

At three months, in order to develop fine motor skills in infants, you can hang bright toys above the crib so that the baby can reach them.

During the finger massage, you need to talk to the baby, tell funny rhymes and nursery rhymes.

Note to moms! Try not to put clothes on your baby that cover his hands, as this prevents the baby from touching everything around him and learning unfamiliar objects by touch. If you are afraid that the baby will hurt himself, carefully trim his nails. How to care for a newborn's nails, see this article.