BabyGym Port Elizabeth with Seugnet

MASTERING MILESTONES

BODY MATHS
Count the toddler’s body parts: one nose, one head, one mouth, one tummy—but two eyes and two ears, two hands and two feet, and so on. Count your own body parts and show the toddler that they match in number.

MATHS DEVELOPS OVER TIME

• A 1-year-old should grasp the concept of one
• A 2-year-old should grasp the concept of two
• A 3-year-old should grasp the concept of three

At this age, maths should always involve counting concrete objects such as toy animals, fruit, cups, and other everyday items.

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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Would you like to support your baby's brain and body development?

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MASTERING MILESTONES

LEARNING SHAPES
Shapes are abstract concepts and require repetition and exposure before a toddler can confidently recognise and name them.

Take it slowly — your toddler has several years to learn all the shapes.

Start with the basics. For your toddler, 2-3 years, focus on the circle and the square.

How to support learning:
Use circles that are the same colour but vary in size and thickness.
Encourage your toddler to match shapes and group similar ones together.
Name the shapes regularly during play.
Mix shapes and ask your toddler to find specific ones (e.g. “Find all the red circles”).
Ask your toddler to pass you a shape (e.g. “Please give me the blue circle”).
Show a shape and ask, “What shape is this?”.
Build consistency.
Help your toddler recognise shapes in everyday life — for example, "Ah, look! Our dinner plate looks like a ...? The dog's feeding bowl looks like a ...?)

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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MASTERING MILESTONES

LEARNING THE NAMES OF PRIMARY COLOURS

Colours are abstract concepts and require lots of repetition before your toddler can confidently identify them.

How to support colour learning:
• Name colours during everyday activities.
• Match objects of the same colour and shade.
• Ask your toddler to pass you a specific colour (e.g. “Please give me the red block”).

As your toddler’s vocabulary develops, encourage them to name the colour of the object they hand to you.

Remember, receptive language develops before expressive language. Your toddler needs to see and hear colour names many times over several months before they begin to say them independently.

Focus on Primary Colours

Take it slowly — your toddler still has several years to learn all the colours. Start by focusing on the primary colours: red, blue, and yellow.

Only introduce green once your toddler can consistently identify the other three with confidence.

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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MASTERING MILESTONES

SORTING
Sorting is the ability to match and group items according to their kind or class. It requires more than simply seeing — it requires understanding what you are looking at.

Sorting begins with objects and, years later, extends to figures, letters, and words. It forms an important foundation for spelling, writing, reading, and mathematics.

As a child approaches the more formal school years, they learn to group objects with the same characteristics into categories, for example:

• Cows, pigs, chickens, and geese are all...? Farm animals!
• Trucks, cars, aeroplanes, and motorbikes are all...? Modes of transport!
• On water, a feather...? Floats! While a stone...? Sinks!

When sorting becomes more complex, such as asking, “Which animals are born as babies and which hatch from eggs?”, it must be learned and practised. This type of sorting is called classification.

Activities such as threading and stacking support visual perception — the way the brain makes sense of what the eyes see. When a toddler or child sorts, threads, or stacks, it also strengthens eye–hand coordination, preparing the child for writing and reading in later years.

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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MASTERING MILESTONES

KISSES
Exactly when a baby will offer their first kiss depends largely on their primary role model. If you kiss your baby often and your baby enjoys the experience, they are likely to start imitating your kisses from around five months of age.

However, a toddler usually only spontaneously offers a kiss between 16 and 18 months.

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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MASTERING MILESTONES

BALL SKILLS
Playing with a ball seems effortless and fun, but when a toddler lacks fundamental gross motor skills, ball skills can be very tricky to master. Kicking, throwing, and catching are some of the most essential ball skills toddlers can playfully start to develop before the age of two.

BALL SKILLS FOLLOW NATURALLY WHEN THE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES PRECEDING THIS PHASE ARE IN PLACE:

• Proprioception and body awareness
• Muscle tone
• Postural control
• Balance
• Eye-hand coordination
• Eye-foot coordination

KICKING
Kicking follows after walking. Once a toddler is a confident walker, they are ready to kick a ball. This usually happens around 14–15 months. After months of practice, a toddler will be ready to run towards a ball and kick it in stride, which is roughly around 18 months. With even more practice, a toddler will be able to kick a moving ball and participate in more active ball games. Even after mastering this skill, they will continue to refine it. Soon, the toddler will be able to kick a ball in a specific direction. This usually happens around two and a half years old.

THROWING & CATCHING
Throwing usually comes before catching. A baby typically starts to throw around the one-year mark, and after many months of developing coordination between the arms, legs, and eyes, catching follows. Many toddlers are only able to catch a ball while standing and maintaining their balance between 18 months and three years.

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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MASTERING MILESTONES

POINTING

Pointing is an important phase in a little one’s development. It shows us that:

• They are becoming curious about their surroundings.
• They are noticing what they can see.
• They are starting to choose what they want to engage with.
• They want to learn the names of the objects they point to.

Pointing is both a gross motor skill (engaging the shoulder and arm) and a fine motor skill (involving the hand, individual fingers, and eyes). It is also a fundamental part of language and speech development. As children point, we naturally begin to emphasise individual words and their pronunciation while we point, name, and explain — building strong foundations for communication.

Follow this link to see where this developmental journey started:
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Would you like to support your baby's brain and body development?
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BABYGYM DEVELOPMENTAL Q&A

Question:
"Does tummy time on the floor and tummy time on the bed have the same developmental value?"

Answer:
No, unfortunately not.

The tummy time we encourage as BabyGym Instructors starts on a parent's chest during the newborn stage and progresses to the floor as soon as possible, with a parent close by for encouragement and interaction.

The floor provides a firm, stable surface that allows babies to push against gravity effectively, strengthening the neck, shoulders, back, and core muscles needed for future milestones.

A bed or other soft surface like a compactum absorbs much of your baby's effort and reduces the developmental benefits.

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BABYGYM DEVELOPMENTAL Q&A

Question:
“Will supported sitting help my baby learn to sit independently?"

Answer:
No, unfortunately not.

For a baby to sit independently, without any support, specific muscle groups need to develop, along with quick protective reactions—both of which are essential for this to be a true developmental skill.

The type of sitting we encourage as BabyGym Instructors is one where the baby progresses naturally against own body weight.

What can you do to develop the sitting milestone?

👍🏻Provide plenty of free exploration time on the floor, with ample opportunity for your baby to kick in the air and move freely.

👍🏻Encourage regular tummy time to build strength.

👍🏻 As your baby becomes stronger, gently pull them up into a sitting position. Allow them the opportunity to explore this position for a few seconds at a time before they topple over.

Through these repeated experiences, your baby gradually develops the strength, balance, and control needed for independent, posture-perfect sitting.

Would you like to support your baby's brain and body development?

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