We all know that physical activity is good for both the mind and body, and no time is more important than during infancy! This shows how important timely development is for a child’s nourishment and proper growth. There are many ways to improve your child’s mental and physical abilities by using different exercises and activities at a very early age. 

Incorporating activities in your toddler’s life early-on helps them develop a strong foundation for all their skills later on in adulthood. Development of motor skills especially tends to lead to better results when it comes to social activities and cognitive development in the future. 

If you have a newborn or toddler, then you’re in the right place! In this article, we will be talking about some really effective exercises and activities that you can involve your little one in to help them develop their skills from an early stage.

Tummy Time

Infants spend most of their time on their backs. Turning them over onto their tummies allows them to do more physical activity than they are normally used to. When they are on their tummies, they try to move and look around. This motion helps in building strong bones and muscles in their neck, arms, shoulders, back, and stomach areas. You can keep your baby engaged by lying down with them, singing to them, playing peek-a-boo, or making them try to reach out to you. 

Lifting Weights

Light weight lifting is another great way to increase your child’s motor skills and improve their focus and hand-to-eye coordination. To engage them in this activity, you can simply make them hold or reach out and grab small toys, teddy bears, rattles, or any other toy that they can hold and lift easily. Such activities will really contribute to the full development of your child’s bones and muscles. 

Bicycling

Bicycling is a great exercise that works well for adults and babies alike. Since babies can’t walk around, bicycling allows them to let out the gases that might have formed inside their stomach. Moreover, it also provides an awesome way to work their leg and foot movement while also focusing on their knees and abs areas. All you’ll have to do in this exercise is simply make your baby lie on its back, lift and move its legs in a motion as if they were cycling slowly. 

Doing Sit-Ups

Infants are lying down most of the time, so making them sit against a support or by holding them is a great way to get the blood flowing through their muscles properly. Furthermore, it also helps in developing a stronger core, arms, shoulders, and back area. It also helps your baby focus on maintaining their balance by themselves, and you can always make it more fun by holding their hands and letting them reach out to you for a hug or a kiss.