Hand-Eye Coordination
Motor skills and hand-eye coordination are not the same thing but they are very closely related. The two often complement each other, hand-eye coordination running in parallel with fine motor development.
Here are some things that will help baby develop their hand-eye coordination:
• Simple jigsaw puzzles with handles for little hands to grip are great, not just for motor and hand-eye development but for mental development too. Make sure the puzzles are suitable for baby's age group and are safe.
• Large building blocks like LEGO's Duplo range are a good way to help baby develop motor skills, coordination and begin to see how things around them are put together. Again, ensure the bricks are appropriate to baby's age and are safe for baby to test her/his teeth on.
• "Peg and hole" toys, where baby has to match the shape of the block to the shape of the hole are another good way to develop baby's fine skills. Toys where the colours match too are particularly good.
Here's a basic timeline to give you some idea how baby will develop. Again, all babies are different and these skills will develop at different rates. There's nothing to worry about if your baby is a little ahead of or behind the curve; that's natural.
Up to 3 months
Baby's hands will curl in to fists and, when something is pressed in to their palms, will reflexively close on the object. By two months, the grasp is less a reflex and more controlled and, by three months, their palms will stay open.
At 5 months
Baby begins reaching for objects, grasping and holding toys, and will suck on their own hands.
At 6 months
Baby will be sucking their feet too. Baby's eyes will follow objects, they'll use both hands to grasp objects given to them.
At 7 months
Baby will be transferring objects from one hand to the other and will be able to hold objects in both hands at the same time. Baby's finger-thumb grip will begin to develop.
At 8 months
Baby keeps her/his hands open and relaxed most of the time. Baby will be able to feed her/himself small foods, picking them up and putting them in her/his mouth.
At 10 months
Baby is able to release an object voluntarily. Baby will be able to hold more than one object and will hand over items when asked.
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