One way to improve a baby's ability to maintain balance in sitting, to reach in all directions and start to transition to prone and prone kneeling is to play reaching games.

In reaching games the play-partner positions a toy first within easy reaching distance, and then a little further away each time to challenge the child's sitting balance.  The child is motivated to reach  to the toy to make something interesting happen. 

Reaching games can be used to improve reaching to the side, to the front or across the body.

The secret of successful reaching games is to use toys that can be pushed, pulled, knocked over, thrown and twisted in ways that the child finds interesting. 

In these games the play-partner positions the toy first within easy reach, and then a little further away to encourage the child to reach further each time. 

Knocking over bottles 

Several big plastic bottles are place in easy reach and the child is encouraged to knock them over. Make he game more interesting by giving the bottles hats.

Stopping a spinning bottle or top

The play partner lays a few bottles on their sides and twists them so that they spin  The child is encouraged to stop the spinning bottle.  

Knocking over a tower of cartons from the kitchen

Reaching for a ball to throw

Use a medium sized ball for this game. The play partner puts the ball a little way in front of the child and encourages them to reach forwards, pick the ball up and throw it back to the play partner.  

Reaching to pull a scarf or hat of a play-partners head

Toddlers take great pleasure in pulling a scarf off a play partner's head, and  enjoy hiding under a scarf. See more scarf games here

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