There is a certain progression to developmental milestones. They are learned in a specific order as a child typically gets the hang of earlier, simpler milestones to build the necessary growth and movement control needed for more complex ones. As the saying goes, you need to walk before you can run! Your child will first learn to control his center (proximal) body parts before moving on to the development of his outer (distal) body parts.¹ Before he can master purposeful, coordinated, and controlled movement with his arms, hands, fingers, and legs, he will need to gain control and stability of his large muscles and joints first.² Don’t be surprised if your child’s first attempts at new movements are large, crude motions. Over time, you will see his actions become more precise and careful as he practices, learns stability, and improves his muscle control.²

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At 18-24 months, he will develop Controlled Movement skills in the areas of balance and large muscle control, skills that will enable him to climb up and down the stairs by placing both feet on each step (hopefully holding on to the railing!).³ He will be able to balance his weight on his toes in tip-toe fashion so that he can reach up to the table for a snack or grab a favorite toy from his bedroom shelf.

Your toddler is now becoming aware of the possibilities in his environment, and he is able to achieve many of his goals (such as reaching that snack or toy!) on his own. Although he is making large gains in balance and coordination, it is still important to keep an eye on him when he is trying to do things that could be dangerous, such as climbing the ladder of a slide, walking on a low wall or balance beam, or climbing up and down stairs.

To support your child’s development at this stage, be sure to give him many chances to successfully complete physical tasks on his own or with minimal help.⁴ Place toys or interesting objects on low tables or shelves so that he can reach them without your help.⁵ Provide him with many opportunities to return things to their proper places, and use a step stool to provide him with access to surfaces such as the bathroom sink for washing his hands or the kitchen counter for cooking fun.

Another great way to practice his stability skills is to climb and use his sense of balance. In addition to your furniture, find a toddler-friendly playground with lots of climbing opportunities. while you’re at the playground you can also try riding on a swing together, which works the muscles in your torso. Dancing is another way for your child to practice his balance and stability, in addition to exercising all his large muscles, so try having a dance party together!

With plenty of practice and exposure to varied physical activities, your child will develop the balance and muscle control needed to achieve mature motor coordination, the coordinated movement of body part(s) and muscles to achieve an intended goal.⁶

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of these Controlled Movement skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Practice going up and down stairs safely.³ If you live in a multilevel home, your toddler sees you climbing the stairs every day, and probably wants to climb them, too! Help your child learn how to safely go up and down those stairs by assisting him in using the correct body parts and supporting his motions. Always start off with your child facing toward the stairs when he goes up or down. Supervise the entire activity and keep child-proof safety gates up to avoid accidents when you can’t be next to him to help with his climbing. If you do not have stairs in your home, a park, library, or mall may be the place to practice stair climbing.
2. Encourage multilevel play and exploration. Place items of interest on low tables or furniture to encourage multilevel play and exploration. Standing on toes to reach for something is a great way for your toddler to improve his balance and show his independence by reaching for things on his own. If you need help getting him interested in the activity, consider tempting him with a new and interesting object or toy. As he looks for things at various heights, he will learn about the world above him as well as practice his stability and muscle control.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Controlled Movement developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Walks up and down stairs, holding onto support.
• Stands on tiptoe.

Sources:

¹McBryde, Catherine, and Jenny Ziviani (1990). Proximal & Distal Upper Limb Motor Development in 24 week old Infants. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(3). Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.caot.ca/cjot_pdfs/cjot57/57.3mcbryde.pdf.

²Firsk, Virginia, Ph.D. (2009). Development of Visuomotor Skills. About Kids Health.Retrieved February 14, 2014, from http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/ResourceCentres/PrematureBabies/LookingAhead/PhysicalandSensoryEffects/Pages/Development-of-Visuomotor-Skills.aspx.

³Alabama Department of Human Resources. Alabama Early Learning Guidelines. 

⁴Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

⁵BabyCenter. How to Encourage and Develop Your Toddler’s Independence. BabyCenter.Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://www.babycenter.in/a1019651/how-to-encourage-and-develop-your-toddlers-independence.

⁶Diedrickson, Jorn, and Reza Shadmehr, Richard B. Ivry (2009). The Coordination of Movement: Optimal Feedback Control and Beyond. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(1),31-39. Retrieved February 12, 2014, from http://keck.ucsf.edu/~houde/sensorimotor_jc/JDiedrichsen10a.pdf.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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