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Instructed by pediatric physical therapist Jenna Zervas, MSPT, Baby
Builders is
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Learn constructive BABY EXERCISES for PLAYING, BONDING with your baby, and BUILDING: |
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WHAT IS BABY BUILDERS? IS BABY BUILDERS FOR MY BABY? What does a baby really need in life? Food, clothing, a warm place to sleep, love, exercise. Exercise? Yes, exercise! Child Development shares, “The processes by which infants learn to control and coordinate their bodies…set the stage for all further development. ”[1] Physical development precedes both cognitive and emotional development. But physical development can’t take place without exercise. What exactly is Baby Builders? Baby Builders is a baby exercise program that teaches parents how to be proactive in their infant’s development. Parents work through four developmental stages that stimulate a baby’s motor and cognitive development from birth through tummy time and crawling until walking. The exercises and techniques show how to make playtime constructive. As well, it educates parents on the progression of development and recommends toys that can enhance cognitive and motor development. The Baby Builders program was designed to be to promote development in healthy babies and to meet the needs of those babies with special concerns. Not every healthy baby needs Baby Builders to develop his motor skills, but healthy babies can greatly benefit from motor skill stimulation. Research overwhelmingly shows that the first three years of life are critical for brain development. “Early intervention from 0-3 years of age leads to higher cognitive test scores and academic test scores through age 21 .”[2] As well, it can improve emotional stability and a child’s overall ability to learn. The first year is especially critical because as the child learns to move, his environment begins to expand, which allows more cognitive, fine motor, and visual development to occur. Unfortunately, babies are spending more and more time in fancy equipment like swings, bouncers, and exisaucers which can slow down development. The National Association of Sports and Physical Education reports: “Confining babies and young children to strollers, play pens, car and infant seats for hours at a time, may delay development such as rolling over, crawling, walking and even cognitive development. Certainly such restrictions can begin the path of sedentary preferences and childhood obesity .”[3]
I hope you greatly enjoy Baby Builders. May your family develop healthily! Happy Exercising, Jenna Zervas, MSPT ________________ 1. Lockman JJ, Thelen E. “Developmental
Biodynamics: Brain, Body, Behavior Connections.” Child Development,
1993, 64, 953-959.
2. Campbell FA, Pungello EP, Miller-Johnson S, Burchinal
M,, Ramey CT. “The development of cognitive and academic abilities:
growth curves from an early childhood educational experiment.” Dev
Psychol 2001 Mar;37(2)::::231-42. 3. NASPE.org
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