At some point, many moms and dads begin to think about how to teach a child to walk. This question may arise if it seems to parents that the walking skill for some reason in their child is delayed. However, it should be understood that every child develops this skill at his own age, which is why, at least, it is unreasonable to be equal to familiar kids.
There are several simple, but effective exercises and methods that can strengthen the child's spine, develop the muscles of the lower extremities and stimulate the child's interest in learning about the world.
Read in an article by a child psychologist what the most popular and common early development methods can be used in the first year of a child's life.
The timing of the skill
A baby's first steps can usually be seen at 12 months of age. But this does not mean that all children master the skill of walking at the age of one.
It is considered to be the norm if the baby has gone from 9 to 16 months.
What is features of walking at an early or late age?
- too early. It also happens that the child gets to his feet at the age of seven months, and after a couple of weeks begins to walk. Doctors are wary of such "acceleration", worrying about the state of the fragile spinal column. But you need to look at the baby. If it is developing at a faster pace, then you should not worry too much;
- early. If a child starts at 9 months old, it is also generally accepted that his motor abilities are formed earlier than the normative terms. It is also not worth worrying, but only if the parents did not specifically stimulate the skill of walking;
- late. Walking at 16 months and even a little later is also considered the norm. This is found in healthy children, but more often the delay in motor skills is associated with prematurity or high weight.
As soon as the baby masters the skill of independent movement, you can notice the difference between his walking and the walking of adults. The child will put his feet next to each other, “print” steps because of the inability to roll from heel to toe. This is normal.
If the baby is very clubfoot, walks on tiptoes, or has invented his own, inadequate way of locomotion, you need to show it to an orthopedist and neurologist.
They will be able to assess the condition of the musculoskeletal and nervous system and advise on the necessary therapeutic procedures, including massage and gymnastic exercises, and swimming.
What can slow down the emergence of a skill?
If the child has not gone on his own at 12 months, but at the same time is developing normally, without neurological and orthopedic diseases, one should not worry too much.
As mentioned above, the ability to walk at 12 months is an average normative indicator. However, parents need to know what can slow down the emergence of walking skills:
- excessive fatness. Children are gaining excess weight due to an ill-considered diet, overeating and impaired metabolism. Unnecessary kilograms load the spine, as a result of which the child cannot take an upright position;
- temperament. Phlegmatic and melancholic children crawl and walk a little later than more "groovy" choleric and sanguine people. A similar pattern arises from the connection between motor activity and the characteristics of the neuropsychic organization;
- genetics. Is walking delay a family trait? In this case, it makes no sense to expect the child to develop the walking skill as soon as possible;
- climate. Inhabitants of the southern regions of the planet, as a rule, master motor skills faster than natives of the northern territories;
- fear. Children's walking is always accompanied by small setbacks in the form of stumbling, falling. Some babies, having had bad experiences, are afraid to walk without parental support;
- stress. Babies are sensitive to any change in the psychological atmosphere. Unfamiliar surroundings, family scandals, punishment and other unfavorable conditions lead to a stressful situation. The child will go as soon as he feels safe;
- disease. Even a common cold weakens the baby. Some children even forget the skill after being ill for some time. However, after a couple of weeks, the skills easily return.
Pathologies in the development of the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system stand apart. In such a situation, it is necessary to constantly monitor the appropriate specialist, take medications and physiotherapy procedures.
Creating conditions for walking
If parents do not know how to teach a child to walk on their own, you should contact the doctor watching the baby. It is likely that he will recommend one of the following popular teaching methods:
- in shoes. Many experts recommend putting shoes on children before they start moving around on their own. Naturally, you need to take only high-quality orthopedic shoes. Such shoes are made of natural materials, tightly covers the leg, are distinguished by the presence of a rigid back and instep support that supports the arch of the foot;
- barefoot. According to this approach, you should not rush to put on your child's shoes, especially if the walking skill began to appear in the warm season. Walking with "naked" heels on a hard surface allows you to strengthen the ligamentous-muscular apparatus, joints, to form the correct arch of the foot;
- on a safe surface. The child moves uncertainly, so it is necessary to restrict his movement on slippery surfaces: tiles, linoleum, parquet boards. If the baby still slides on the floor, you need to purchase socks with rubber soles that improve grip;
- on a free territory. When a toddler is learning to walk, parents should give him space. This means removing bulky items away from the path of the young "traveler", as well as providing access to other areas of the apartment;
- with reins. Parents leading their child "on a leash" are subjected to all kinds of criticism, as well as sidelong glances from others. However, such a device can help if the baby is afraid to walk without support.
The popular TV doctor Komarovsky is not against the use of reins by parents. However, it points to a serious drawback of such a device. The design prevents falls, and the child must learn to fall and get up.
Teaching your child to walk
Before starting to learn, you need to make sure that the child is ready to learn this skill. You should not rush the baby, but you should not miss the most appropriate moment either.
Signs of the baby's readiness to walk: getting up from his knees, the ability to be in an upright position for a long time, attempts to move, holding onto furniture or walls.
The more signs of readiness there are, the easier it will be to teach your baby to walk. And certain exercises will contribute to accelerated learning, which will be discussed further.
Preparatory stage
Much will depend on what the parents will lay at the beginning of his life. That is why, before you quickly teach a child to walk, it is necessary to prepare the child's body for subsequent loads.
A baby who moves a lot, shows activity and interest in learning about the world around him, will begin to walk more quickly than his peers, who constantly lie and move little.
In order for a child to grow up more physically prepared and strong, you need daily perform certain exercises:
- laying out on the tummy. As soon as the baby begins to roll over on his tummy, you can often lay him out in this position. This will strengthen the neck and back muscles;
- coups. A 2-month-old baby is already trying to roll over while removing clothes or changing diapers. Mom should encourage such "freaks", because they improve the muscles of the limbs and cervico-dorsal region;
- adoption of a sitting position. At about 4-6 months of age, the child begins to sit down, and at 8 months he is able to sit fully. When he is in a sitting position, invite him to reach for the doll or car.
- crawl. The child, wanting to get the right object, tries to crawl. These are very important exercises, so parents should encourage their toddler to move on all fours or bellies as often as possible.
Strong muscles are the key to timely walking. In order for children's legs to be able to confidently hold their little master, the child needs to be taught to bend and unbend the knees, to jump with the help of adults.
Exercises for an early age
How to properly teach a small child to walk? First of all, you do not need to insist, on the contrary, it is recommended to closely monitor the development of the baby. The following activities will help you improve your walking skills:
- Fitball exercises. A child 6 - 9 months old can sit on a large ball with his back to him, supporting him by his hips. The little "rider" is swayed in different directions to train the vestibular apparatus and coordinate actions.
- From the age of 9 months, children can train to stand on a solid surface. The child is turned with its back to itself, supporting by the sternum. Then they lift him up so that he can get up from his haunches and straighten his legs. This exercise can be done with music.
- Also a 9 month old baby need to be stimulated to rise from the knees. To do this, you need to attract his attention with the help of a doll or a typewriter, which is placed on the sofa away. The child, trying to get the toy, gets up and tries to go.
- One more question: how teach the child to stand without support. Experts advise to wait for the moment when the baby will stand at a reliable stand and give him his favorite toy. Then he is offered one more game object so that he is forced to release the support for which he is holding.
If a child is interested in walking before 9 months, do not discourage. Usually, kids who are already physically stronger are ready for new achievements.
Exercises for older children
The child learns and grows quickly, so you need to constantly come up with new activities.
Experts advise doing some useful exercises:
- from 10 months, you can use an ordinary stroller (for girls) or tolokar (for boys) to train walking skills. The stroller is pushed forward and the child follows. His parents insure him from the back;
- as soon as the baby learns to hold on confidently (in the tenth month of life), exercises with sticks are connected. The length of these devices is about 100 cm. The child grabs them, and the parent puts his hands on the children's arms. By moving the sticks forward, the baby learns to walk;
- At 10 months old babies usually try to walk on their own, but some are afraid of large spaces. The child is put into a hoop, and then this sports device is moved in such a way that the baby is forced to walk;
- if the baby already knows how to walk (usually at 11 months), holding on to the parent's hand, you can teach him to move with obstacles. At a low height, you need to pull the rope, and the child must step over it.
Parents should monitor their children's mood. If the child is uncomfortable, he refuses to get up or walk, the exercises are postponed for a while.
Safety engineering
First of all, you should take care of the safety of the child while training walking skills. The first advice - do not put the baby on its feet if it is still too small and not ready to move. What else do you need to remember?
- get special walking shoes. Avoid booties and soft sandals. Optimal shoes are lightweight, with a stiff sole. If the lower part seems slippery to the parents, it can be sanded with sandpaper;
- as noted above, do not practice walking on slippery surfaces to avoid injury and damage. In addition, some toddlers stop even trying to walk when faced with too smooth surfaces;
- an inexperienced "walker" should not face obstacles: steps, thresholds, carpets and other barriers. Only when the child learns to walk can you come up with various obstacles, at the initial stage they should be definitely avoided;
- you should also protect the baby from sharp furniture corners, large floor vases, swinging doors and boxes and cans with household chemicals lying in cabinets, fragile objects and hanging tablecloths;
- refuse to use walkers, in which the baby will not walk, but ride, and very quickly. In addition, such a device will not stimulate the child to move independently.
Pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky is also convinced of the uselessness of walkers in teaching a child to walk upright. Such a device only helps parents who seek to take a break from communication with their child.
For more information about why walkers are dangerous for toddlers and whether they are of benefit to a small child, read the informative article by a child psychologist.
Taking care of child safety, it is necessary not to go to the other extreme - overprotection. Children should move independently, freely, and parents just need to help and insure the kids from injury.
Solving possible difficulties
The above recommendations answer the question of how to help your child learn to walk quickly.
Usually the learning process goes smoothly, but in some cases it is possible some issues to be aware of:
- Constant falls. The child is just learning to walk - therefore, he will fall due to the ineptitude and underdevelopment of the vestibular apparatus. However, if falls are too frequent, poor eyesight can be suspected and an ophthalmologist is consulted.
- Fear of walking alone. This usually happens with overly sensitive kids. If the baby gets scared of something while walking or falls, you need not scold him, but support and encourage him to walk in every possible way.
- Increased tone of the leg muscles. If a child walks on tiptoes, consult a doctor. Is it muscle hypertonicity? In this case, the specialist will prescribe a special relaxing gymnastics and massage.
- Wrong position of the feet. How to teach a child to walk if he is constantly clubfoot, "piles up" outside or inside the foot? These positions are incorrect, so it is important to consult with an orthopedist and carry out remedial exercises.
Do I need to teach my child to walk? An unexpected question, since we wrote about training above. However, it should be understood that by teaching, we mean rather training, if the baby is developing at an optimal pace.
Targeted learning is only necessary if the child is late with the skill and the doctor prescribes special exercises. Remember that all children develop individually!
