By now your baby can probably pick up objects easily but are not able to let go easily yet. She will try to move the objects from one hand to another, shake them and bring them to their mouth. They are working on their hand-eye coordination and refining their whole hand movement.
5 ways to develop your child’s whole hand grip
1. Reading: 6+
When reading with your child, encourage them to turn the pages. Start with board and cloth books, so that your child can freely turn the pages without the fear of ripping them. As they turn the page, the muscles in their hands are put to work. Most Curious Cub play kits come with highly interesting and engaging board books whose pages are easy to turn.
2. Water painting
Give your baby a paintbrush dipped in water. The wet paint brush is a great way to introduce your baby to mark making. Once the paintbrush dries, model dipping into the bowl of water to wet it again. Soon, your baby will start to do this themselves. This is mess free and even if your baby gets on themselves, you just wipe it off to dry, unlike paint which is more messy. Your baby will use their palm to hold the paintbrush and at about 18 months will slowly start using only their fingers to hold it.
3. Knob Puzzles
The Curious Cub level 4 box has a knob puzzle where the child develops not only their fine motor skills but also their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Grabbing the knob is hard work for your baby. You can also add a photograph of a family member, animals, fruits, vegetables so they open and discover a new picture each time. This keeps the activity fresh and child’s interest intact.
4. Ball drop 7+
The Curious Cub level 4 Montessori Box has an object permanence box. What seems so simple to us is actually quite challenging for your baby. She will bang the ball initially and you will notice him struggling to release the ball. When the child drops the ball in the box, it automatically comes out through the other side. While developing their fine motor skills, your child is also learning the concept of object permanence.
5. Animal rescue 7+
Use some washi tape to adhere the animals on the wall. While your baby sits near the wall, encourage her to rescue the animals. These animals are from Curious Cub Level 9 Box