Building confidence through the freedom of movement

Loving him with everything that you are. Wanting the very best for him. Being attentive to his needs. Giving him a solid foundation to build the fulfilled adult he will become.

Encouraging child development through confidence 

For nine months, baby lived in a cocoon in his mom's womb. When he left, he lost some of his bearings. As parents, you want to hold him in your arms, tell him that everything will be okay and remind him that you will always be there for him. You will become his ally to help him discover this "new world" and allow him to face all situations in life. This process is enabled by the close connection you will establish with him and the importance you will give to his development in your everyday life. Have confidence in your child. Within him, he holds all the strength and resources he needs. Amazing, right? 

Have you heard of the freedom of movement concept?

According to this concept, you child's development is done in a natural way, following his instincts. By allowing him to move freely, he discovers the capabilities of his body on his own. He learns to trust himself by experimenting with movements like crawling, rolling and climbing on the ground. This motricity is a way for him to express himself and establish all the necessary connections between his brain and his body. This enables him to establish bearings (time span, left and right, up and down) which will be of capital importance in all spheres of his life. By allowing him to explore freely, you also allow him to gain confidence in himself and in his abilities to succeed on his own. 

Reassure and accompany your child without intervening

Your role is to give him optimal conditions for spontaneous experimentation, without doing things for him. You are present to reassure and to accompany him, without intervening. This will allow him to feel supported and confident. These self-initiated learning experiences will allow him to develop his autonomy.  This will strengthen the bond of trust that unites you. 

It is important to appreciate the quality of a child’s movements, and not rush the speed of development. You may be eager to see him take his first steps, but many other steps are essential before you get there, such as rolling, crawling, walking on hands and knees and climbing. This allows the brain and the body to be in unison. By skipping one of these steps, you interfere with the development of multiple neuronal connections.

Offer freedom of movement

In a sitting position, especially in a stabilizing game or an exerciser, the child struggles to maintain balance that is not yet familiar to him. This fight against gravity must be acquired gradually. Instead, offer him an exercise area where he can play, freely, on his back. He will slowly learn to dissociate each part of his body and to use his hands and lower limbs for support. Next, he will start to crawl, then do the bear walk.  He will develop the strength required to control his posture, which will be very useful for maintaining his sitting position alone, when the time comes. Then, all of a sudden, you will witness your child take his first steps, in the center of a room, because he will have all the prerequisites to do so on his own and with confidence. Childhood is the perfect time to discover the pleasure of moving and learning. Stimulate him while respecting the natural process of his development. 

Keeping motor skills in mind, babywearing is an interesting solution for carrying baby in a position that allows him greater freedom of movement than a stroller or a car seat. In addition to offering him physical proximity to his parent, you offer him the chance to have visual coherence with all the stimuli of his surrounding environment. Thanks to his closeness with his parent, he is able to create sensory bearings that will allow him to feel confident in his environment.

Stimulate the desire to move and learn

Exercices like balancing on one leg or crawling for a short distance can seem simple to execute. Yet according to a British study, a third of children aged 4 and 5 cannot do so because they have not sufficiently developed their motor abilities through natural and free movement. These same children are more likely to fall behind in their physical maturity and/or development, which generally affects their learning abilities at school. So, stimulating your child to move and learn by himself in the first years of his life will give him a better chance of succeeding later on, in school.

Fulfill your child's needs and give him the best gift of all : an optimal motor development that will allow him to feel good in his body and to be confident in his skills.