Watching your baby reach for a toy, grasp your finger, or swipe at a dangling mobile might seem like nothing very much at all. But these tiny actions are actually the building blocks of their future learning!

Let me explain!

• Every time they reach out for something it strengthens their brain connections, helping with coordination, attention, and problem-solving.

• Grasping is a foundation for future skills like writing, dressing, and self-care. The muscles they develop help build the strength they need to succeed.

• Hand-eye coordination links directly to later academic skills like reading and maths.

Reaching and grasping aren't just movements, they're brain-building in action!

The more I looked into this, the more interesting it became! So I wrote a blog about it!!! You can read it here

Try Adding in a bit of Reaching and Grasping Today!

Now that you know how powerful these tiny movements are, here’s a quick activity to help your little one build strong fine motor skills:

• Offer a variety of objects to explore - different textures, shapes, and sizes all help build stronger hands and minds! Go wild here, look for things around the house they might be interested in - their hairbrush, or a colander, some pine cones collected in the park or some different fabric, wooden rings, soft balls will all encourage different grips!
• For toddlers, - try finger painting and let them explore some puzzles. Both use their hands in different ways for different outcomes. As always, the best development happens through play!

• Nursery or childminder? Share this with your parents! Helping them understand these early skills strengthens the home-nursery connection. See if your practitioners can share the information from the blog with their parents at pick up and drop off!

Want More Brain-Building Support?

🌟 The Toddler Toolkit is coming soon! If you want simple, science-backed strategies for handling tantrums, sleep struggles, mealtime battles, and more, join the waitlist here

👶 Are you a nursery or childminder? Oliiki Nurseries supports parents and practitioners from conception onwards and helps babies build brains before they even start with you. Let’s have a chat about how Oliiki can support your setting! Book a call here

Have a brilliant week,

Clare