Alongside the continuing role of adult bodies, the floor is the best enabling environment for babies at this stage.
Limit the time older babies spend in seats, highchairs, bouncers and other “containers” as this prevents the critical physical development that takes place through crawling.
Plan space to encourage free movement, while being kept safe by attentive adults.
Maintain a familiar and nurturing environment that allows babies to feel secure, curious and adventurous, both indoors and outdoors.
Provide large cushions, tunnels, slopes and low-level steps or platforms to stimulate and challenge toddlers.
Offer continuous low-level surfaces outdoors as well as indoors, so that babies can pull up to a standing position, cruise sideways and take first steps.
Provide sturdy push-along carts, wheeled toys and pull-along toys indoors and out for pushing and pulling.
Use music to encourage and enjoy movements.
Make play resources easily and simply accessible on shelves and open containers for children to reach and fetch for themselves.
Provide resources that stimulate babies to handle and manipulate things, e.g. metal and wooden objects or board books.
Use gloop (cornflour and water) in small trays so that babies can enjoy putting fingers into it and lifting them out.
