Stimulation of development: 9 months

1. Let the child practice crawling by being on the floor often with different toys.

2. It is important that children of this age are allowed to play often on the floor, lying on their stomach. This stimulates slithering and is good for strength training of the extensor muscles in the back and neck.

As the child becomes stronger, he will try to come up into the four-feet crawling position, i.e. lift his chest and bottom from the floor.

3. Make it interesting for the child to play while he is lying on his stomach. Toys that have parts that revolve, make a sound, or that the child can roll across the floor, stimulate the child to crawl and play while lying on his stomach.

4. Let the child reach out for things from different positions. Children in this age group will use both hands and also still examine things with their mouths.

5. From the age of 7 months, the child will want to stand up with all his weight on his legs. As his balance is still undeveloped, it is important that you support him by holding him with both hands.

Let him practice standing like this every day. You will gradually notice that he becomes steadier and manages to balance his body better.

6. When your child manages to sit without support you can play a game where he is encouraged to imitate your actions. This is good social training. Get him to pat his thighs, clap his hands and show how tall he is. Praise him when he imitates you.

7. Give your child toys that are easy to grasp hold of and which make a sound or noise when he plays with them. Hitting the floor with things and making a noise is always fun for children of this age. It is a good idea if the toy also has details that stimulate the child’s fine motor skills.

Children in this age group are starting to use their index finger independently of the other fingers.