It has been a couple of years since my youngest started to crawl, but oh how it seems like yesterday! We had so much fun helping little Norah learn how to crawl. Today, I wanted to share with you 5 of the ways we helped our baby learn to crawl.
Now, given that this little Miss has three big and busy siblings to keep up with, I had thought she would be on the move very quickly. But due to her calm and peaceful disposition, she was in fact quite content to just lay around and watch the busyness unfold in front of her.
Just before we get into the games, I have a free printable to share with you! These high-contrast animals are perfect for printing and using to build your baby’s coordination, tracking skills, and more! You can find that freebie below. I hope you love it!
Our little Norah was a full ten months old before she started fully crawling. I have read that babies typically start to crawl between 6 to 10 months. My two busy boys were both crawling around 8 months, and my eldest daughter never crawled at all, in fact. She did the cutest bum-scoot and then went right into walking just before she turned one.
These little souls of ours are all different and will grow and develop in their own good time. That being said, there are some really fun games and ways of helping baby learn to crawl.
Here are five fun and easy games to play that encourage crawling. I hope you and your little one love them!
Game 1: Tummy Time Peek-a-Boo
Tummy time is a great way to strengthen the muscles that are needed for future crawling. Little backs, necks, arms, and legs all get a great workout while baby is having tummy time. My little Norah didn’t mind her tummy time at all, but some of my little ones despised it.
A great game to play while having tummy time is Peek-a-Boo! Lay down right in front of your little one, head to head, and pop a blanket on your head. Pull it off quickly and say, “Boo!” Encourage your little one to reach for the blanket as well and try to pull it off your head. This reaching motion is a great way to help baby learn to crawl.
Game 2: Elevate the Arms and Go on a Treasure Hunt
Another great way of helping baby crawl is to raise her arms and upper body slightly. Sit on the ground with your legs out straight. Have baby lay over one of your legs, so her chest is on your leg and her arms are on one side of your leg and her body on the other.
Encourage those little arms to pull and push her by adding some fancy treasures to the other side of your leg. Bracelets or toys that are special or new will certainly hold her interest!
Game 3: The Great Wall Push to Strengthen Crawling
Position baby on her tummy with her feet nice and close to the wall with you (or a funny sibling) right in front of her offering a favourite toy juuuust out of reach. Encourage baby to push off the wall with her feet to reach for that toy, strengthening those little legs and getting those knees bent and ready to crawl.
If you are lucky enough to have an older sibling helping you teach baby to crawl, have them demonstrate this skill. If you have hard flooring (not carpet) it’s a fun, slippery game for everyone!
Game 4: Clear Out!
One of the biggest things I do that help my little ones get on the move is to simply give them space! This might sound obvious, but I seem to forget each time my little ones are about to get moving. In our family room, we push the chairs to the side of the room and move the coffee table out of our way. We pop toys all around the room and simply give baby the opportunity to roll and move about at her leisure. It is amazing how this simple trick truly does help get babies crawling! This also means letting those little ones out of all of the devices we have now a days to help us contain them.
Older children love this as well! Moving the furniture and having a nice open space invites all kinds of creative dances to begin.
Game 5: Sit and Reach
It is actually much easier for baby to start to crawl from a seated position. I wrote a post last month all about helping baby learn to sit. If your baby is sitting on the floor, she can easily reach her hands forward and get into crawling position. You can encourage these muscles to grow nice and strong by having baby reach for things while in a seated position off of an elevated surface. A chair, or a step, offer baby a nice little support as she begins to move her body in whole new ways.
Adding toys (or pets!) to those surfaces is a fun game and a great way to engage baby in these movements.
There you have it, friends! Five fun games and ideas for helping baby crawl. I hope you found one or two just right for you and yours.
And please remember, baby will crawl all in her own time… or she might just bum-scoot her way right to walking! In their own time and in their own way.
Thank you so much for reading!
xo
Sarah
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your FREE printable high-contrast animals!
You might also like:
50 Learning Activities for Baby
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