There are so many things that we as adults do without thinking - sidestepping, walking backwards and changing our direction of movement are a few of these.
However... changing direction is actually a tricky thing for a little person to master. It requires not only physical actions, but also tonnes of sensory messages in order to get the body to move in a new way.
For babies, they have to learn how to use and control their muscles, and then toddlers continue to learn how to coordinate them differently, for example, when stepping backwards and sideways!
Our senses are what make us move. We gather information from the world around us, then our brain processes this in order to help us move around effectively. The senses themselves also need to adapt themselves to manage sensations of these new directions of movement.
If your toddler is not overly adept at walking yet, it could be that actually their senses aren't developed enough to keep them stable for long enough. Engaging the senses through simple things such as being outdoors could be a way to really support their development.
Celebrate as you watch them develop. So many connections being made in brain and body as they master these complex skills!
Commentaires