Mobility - Early years
Learning through the senses and movement is vital in early childhood. Babies and young children learn to move - that is, they develop independent movements, co-ordination and control of body movements and the growing understanding of 'how I work'. They also move to learn - they use movement to develop an understanding of what they can do and how the world works.
Problems with learning movement
Some babies with a sight problem may have less experience of movement as they may tend to lie quietly or 'still' when listening so there is potentially less experience of how their different body parts move. They may also have less motivation to move, so their movement skills may develop more slowly.
How to help
You can encourage your child to have a growing interest in and understanding of things in the environment. Regular practice through play helps your child to control the movements they make and become more independent. You can do this by providing activities which include:
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floor play, tummy and back play, rolling over and over
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belly crawling and crawling
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spinning, tipping, tilting and falling (safely!)
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pushing, pulling, stretching, hanging and sliding.
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Your visiting teacher will have ideas for you to encourage your baby to move.
Mobility officers
Some services for children with sight problems are able to put you in touch with a mobility officer if your child would benefit from specific support. They can advise you on how to encourage your child to move around the environment, both indoors and outdoors, more independently.
Some children also use canes and squeaky shoes to help with mobility.
For some real life stories on visit our parenting children with sight loss pages on learning how to walk.