Babies start exploring in the early stages of life. When your baby’s hands begin to coordinate, the little one will start reaching out to touch and to pull at objects. Your baby will be curious to see how the tiny hands work by waving, clapping, clenching, and other hand movements. At this stage, your baby is ushered into a world of learning to hold and let go.
Playing with the string helps babies better coordinate small muscles in the movement of the hands and fingers. Your baby learns to direct the hand and fingers in sync with the eyes.
What Attracts Your Baby to String?
Multi-colored strings are easier for your baby to see and hold. Children may be attracted to the string for its simplicity and because it effortlessly fits in their tiny hand.
Your kid gets attracted to the string when it becomes evident that the tiny fingers can hold to it in ways that are not possible with other toys. Your baby is learning how to use the thumb and index finger, and the string seems to be the better way to do so.
At What Age Can Your Baby Play with String?
Babies become aware of their hands at about two months of age. Your baby will begin to grab something between the ages of 2-4 months. Though the movement of the hands is still in a primitive stage at this time, your baby can hold a string.
Older babies find more advanced ways to play with the string, but the younger ones tend to only pull and direct it to the mouth. As your baby grows older, the hand and finger movements improve, and your baby starts to pull at the string more purposefully.
Do All Babies Love String?
Babies are picky when it comes to things such as; food, caregivers, and even toys. Your baby may begin to show toy preferences at a tender age. However, it is common for younger babies to reach out to objects to touch and pull. This becomes eminent once babies become aware of what their tiny hands can do. Most babies love pulling the string once introduced to it.
Is Playing with String Safe for Your Baby?
Playing with the string is both fun and educative and helps improve your baby’s hand and finger movements. However, care needs to be taken to avoid strangulation. Your baby should play with the string under your watchful eye.
If your baby loves the string, ensure that the length is less than 7 inches if attached to a toy or box. Babies will reactively, or out of curiosity, put stuff that isn’t food in the mouth. It’s safe to verify that the string is secured to a safe object. Also, make sure that bits of the loose string are removed from your baby’s reach.
What to Expect from Babies Who Love String
It’s a good thing if your baby loves the string. Besides being fun, it’s also an educational activity you and your baby can enjoy at any time. It does not require a special setting or location, so you can easily engage in it almost immediately.
The String helps develop your baby’s motor skills. As the tiny fingers pull and twist at the string, your baby learns to focus and coordinate the hand and figure movements. Over time, the skill to hold and let go is developed.
The concept of using the finger and thumb to pick up smaller objects such as grains is not easy for babies. However, the string helps your baby learn how to do this. Slowly but surely, your little one will master how to pick smaller objects and how much force to apply to an object when picking or holding it.
Conclusion
Playing with the string is common in most parts of the world and is one of the oldest activities that babies engage in. The simplicity and availability of this activity make it uncomplicated for almost any baby to engage in.
As simple as the string may look, it plays a significant role in the foundation of building your baby’s motor skills. By and large, you will have a baby who can accurately direct that snack into the tiny mouth without missing. Your little one will soon be holding a crayon and scribbling, courtesy to a practical motor skill development foundation the string provides with patience and practice.
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