He is beginning to understand cause and effect andexperiments by adjusting his behavior to see what happens. He is keen to explore on his own so make sure you don’t leave any objects close by that may cause accidents.
His language skills develop through associating actions and objects with the correct wordsand you can help him learn more quickly by pointing to the items as you name them.
He loves to create noise and there are lots of activities associated with sound that he can enjoy.
Motor Skills : Month 7
Gross Motor Skills
He may crawl using either his hands and knees or hands and feet. He may also be able to crawl while carrying an object in one hand. He can stand by leaning against something like furniture but may need help to sit down again. When he is held standing, he can put one foot infront of the other in an attempt to walk, and he may be able to pull himself up by reaching for furniture to help him. Make sure that there are no weak pieces of furnitureor objects around that may topple over if he tries to hold on to them, and be prepared to catch him if he falls over by losing his grip or balance.
He can sit on his own without support and places one leg stretched out while the other is flexed at the knee and tucked in towards his body. He can lean forwards and sideways without falling over. He is aware of the relationship between his body and movements, and those made by others. He combines several new skills together to complete a task.
Fine Motor Skills
He uses his thumb, first and second fingers to hold objects and can pick up small objects with greater precision. He holds on to objects for longer periods before dropping them and is fascinated by cause-and-effect actions like wheels turning to make a toy move.
He clasps his hands together and may clap and hit objects at the same time. He is interested in moving objects in and out of contained spaces and placing smaller objects within larger items like jars and boxes. He will point to objects, learning to use his fingers and thumbs together.
Language : Month 7
Your baby may be able to say some words like “mama”,“dada”, “bye bye”, and “baby”, and label objects using an imitation of its sound, such as “choo-choo” for train, “ba ba” for sheep and “whoof whoof” for dog.When you hear him say such words, reinforce his learning by pointing to the correct object and repeatingits name so he associates the sounds he makes with their meanings. He understands simple instructions and will respond to familiar sounds. Help him learn short sentences by repeating words such as “Where is daddy?” followed by “Here is daddy”, and then “Daddy is smiling at you.” You can also do this with actions, when you say “Look at the ball” you then point to the ball. He will speak more frequently but it is still primarily for his own enjoyment.
Emotion : Month 7
He will pat, smile and kiss mirror images, and loves looking at himself. He will make his feelings known by pushing awaysomething he doesn’t want, and will stop crying and become quiet when you talk to him.
He has developed food preferences and loves the taste of his favorite flavors. He will very clearly let you know if he likes or dislikes a certain food. He is sometimes scared of strangers and fears being separated from you, becoming clingy if you try to leave him. He doesn’t like being confined to a crib or playpen, and wants the space to explore and move. He enjoys the company of other children but won’t yet play with them because he is more interested in his own activities.
What Your Baby Enjoys : Month 7
Vocalizing
He loves to talk so encourage him to speak as much as possible. Play and sing games and say rhymes andpoems repetitively using the same emphasis. He adoreslistening to you so talk to him constantly and tell him what you are doing and the names of each object. He loves to make different noises so practice the soundsof animals while pointing to pictures or cartoons that you have drawn.
Making Noise
He likes making noise by banging objects, shaking and dropping them and particularly enjoys banging spoons against things. In the bath, he can pour water into plastic containers to create a splashing sound.
Use his body to make noises by playing games like “pat-a-cake” where you clap your two hands with his hands. You can also pat your knees and your head and have him copy you. If you position lots of objects in a circle around your child, he will move and orient himself to play with each of them.
How Can You Help : Month 7
- Wrap up objects in newspapers and colorful paper and have him unwrap them to teach him that objectsdon’t disappear.
- Lie on the floor and have him crawl to you.
- Play clapping games to encourage coordination.
- Play “hide and seek” and get him to move to find you.
- Give him musical toys such as drums or objects that shake and get him to make noise to accompanying music.
- Bounce him up and down on your lap to music or hold on to him in a standing position and dance.
- Help him to stand up several times a day and to crawl towards objects.
- When you say “No” use a consistent tone and only use the word when you mean it.
- Read to him often and repeat words so that he can try to mimic the sounds.
- Give him colorful blocks that he can begin to try to stack andknock over.
- Hide a musical toy and get him to find it by following the location of the sound.
- Play water games in the bath using toys that move and float.
- Give him different foods so that he widens his preferences and has new taste experiences.
- Let him eat finger foods that he can grasp in one hand.
