This post was inspired by a conversation in the comments of my friend. Since the topic seems important to me, I decided to write down my thoughts separately

Sometimes I am very happy to hear from other people who are not very familiar with us:
- how athletic you are, Alice!
- Alice is so dexterous, so active
and so on.
And not only because I admire my girl, but also because this is serious praise for me personally.

The fact is that in order for Alice to run, jump, roll, swim, etc. I ALWAYS need to make an effort. Yes Yes Yes. If you don't touch her, she will lie on the sofa. Verified :))))
And no example of dad, mom, older brother - none of it worked. And the company of sports friends does not give much effect. We need constant, I emphasize - CONSTANT incentives.
- charging - through a fairy tale
- ride a bike - look for treasures, go on a trip, go for apples
- roller skating - competitions, girlfriend, crayons
- swim - through laughter, splashes, catching up, your favorite coach
- monkey bars, pole and rope climbing - “weak”
- diving - through adrenaline, emotions
and so on in everything!

Is it good or bad?
Well, that's life. This is it. Despite the fact that she and I were engaged in physical development, as with Slava and Alenka, from birth, always, constantly, without interruptions. And she’s not lacking in temperament. But that's how it is with her. To start moving, you need to swing. When you rock it, she does it with pleasure, and it lasts for a while. But time passes, and again you need to support, provoke, push...

I was asked several times: well, if everything is so difficult, then maybe you shouldn’t touch the child?
I’ll be honest: there was a moment when I was tired and let everything take its course. If you don't want it, you don't have to.
And then the child lay down on the sofa. He didn’t even sit down, but lay down. She began to play, read, and draw while lying down. Leaving the house became a problem. And this went on for more than one day, and not even one week. For more than a month, the child led a recumbent lifestyle. Then we went to the sea. There it is more difficult to live a recumbent lifestyle. But even there she was ready to lie on the shore. That’s when I decided that enough experimentation was enough – let’s start taking action. And the child began to joyfully swim, jump, run, tumble, roll, etc. And I was happy at the same time!

I honestly don't know why it happens like this. Don't know. I have thoughts, but I’m not ready to voice them, there aren’t enough facts to support my assumptions

Here you can ask the question: what, Can't you do without sports? Should all children play sports?
Of course not. Sports are not necessary. But you can’t go against nature: all children need to move. Many and varied. This is inherent in their development. Movement is necessary not only for health, but also for growth, body formation, brain development, gaining experience, etc.

That is All children need regular, varied physical activity
There are children who move beautifully on their own, and our task with such children is simply to create conditions for their activity. A home gym is a very powerful thing, especially for kids. And then we need to go somewhere further: to a stadium, a complex playground, to a swimming pool, to go skiing... In general, we still need our help in creating these very conditions for activity

But there are children who will not move on their own. And here our task is to encourage them to move. Yes Yes Yes. With them, it’s not enough to just install a sports complex or buy a balance bike; with them, it’s not enough to just bring your child to a section or in the company of other active children; with them, it’s not enough to just be active parents. You need to purposefully look for ways to get them moving. You need to look for “hooks” that will hook them. You need to look for something that will spark interest, desire, aspiration.

You should always look for something that will hook your child. Why does he want to work hard?
It could be adrenaline, muscle high, sensations, balance, it could be external beauty, the joy of victory, communication in a team... it could be something completely idiotic. for example, a neighbor's girl started dancing because her mother told her she was fat... Now I'm not discussing this mother and how fat or not the girl was fat. But this is also a way to motivate. By the way, yes, you need to monitor it very clearly so as not to end up in humiliation, manipulation (run a circle - I’ll give you “candy”) and other things.
I repeat, you need to look for a way, situation, type of sport, coach, etc., when the child begins to get a kick out of the process. Yes, it will primarily be associated, perhaps, not so much with the physical activity itself, but with related things:
- I found it funny, fun, interesting
- it was cool, scary, unusual, I’ve never done that before
- I drive like dad, I look like dad
- I ran the fastest, I'm cool
- my team is my friends, I have great company
and so on.
But nevertheless, the child himself should receive positive results from what he does. Must get positive from what he puts his energy into. And as a nice addition - physical activity :)

A small retreat
My husband has been playing everything all his life: football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, badminton, billiards. From the age of 5, they played football in the yard every day. Only very heavy rain, frost, etc. could interfere. Every day, without any sections. And it is normal for a child’s health to have a constant load. And in the summer there was a village - where there was the right non-fictional load: hay, weeding, potatoes, sawing - chopping firewood, bringing water. When he grew up he began to mow. I helped my grandmother with the housework to the fullest - there was no one else. This is the correct, natural load. Yes, even if you don’t bother with housekeeping, but just live at the dacha - in the village, run barefoot, walk in the forest for hours, ride a bike (because the distances are decent), swim, etc. - the child will receive that very different load that is so important for him. But the city doesn’t have all this. So we have to create an alternative - with our own hands, so to speak.
Therefore, yes, in our family we definitely include all children in sports. Whatever you like. Because it is simply necessary for health and development.
This does not mean that they only have sports, of course not. I am in no way against music, dancing, singing, drawing and everything else. On the contrary, I am only FOR :) The children studied in the theater studio, and if everything works out, Alisa and Alenka will continue this year. I would like Slava too - but for him it doesn’t fit into the rhythm of life at all. And Slava went to a music club as a child. He liked it, although he did not show any special abilities or predisposition for this. Alice, by the way, also went. And she liked it, but she gravitates more towards dancing. And we almost went last year, but the teacher turned out to be unsuccessful - so for now the idea is on hold. By the way, dancing is a good alternative to sports if you like it. We are looking for a modern studio for Alice, but, unfortunately, the options are only very far away. It won't be possible to take her there yet. Maybe in a couple of years, when she will be able to drive on her own, if she doesn’t burn out, or something closer will be found.

So how do you get kids involved?
While children are small, in my opinion, the easiest way to do this is in a game. In our house it started with , and that’s why we say, let’s play a fairy tale. Although, of course, often this is not a fairy tale at all. These can be games and quests.
When children grow up, you can and should play with them in the same way. Only, of course, the games change. Now these are more quests than just stories. And if it is a game, then it should carry some meaning that is important for the child. And, besides games, now there are other options: victory, communication with friends, team spirit, belonging to a group, reward, adrenaline, etc.
The most important thing is, if you understand that your child needs this kind of help from you, do not give up. In my opinion, it is very important not to give up, not to give up when making the “diagnosis” that my child is unsportsmanlike. And keep searching, searching, trying.

In general, I want to say this.
- children need to move, constantly and variedly
- if they do it themselves, we rejoice and help them by creating conditions
- if they don’t do it themselves, then we are looking for options on how to involve them in this very physical activity. We remember the main thing: in the end, the child must receive joy.

Do you know any “unsportsmanlike” children? Are your children athletic? What do you think about it?

And older passes individually. There are general norms that should be relied upon. But still, children are different. There are especially lazy people who don’t want to move. What to do in such a situation?

WHAT TO DO IF THE CHILD DOESN'T WANT TO ROLL OVER

Inna, the mother of a 5-month-old girl, shared that her daughter does not want to roll over. She gives her massages and develops her, but to no avail. The baby already wants to sit down, pulls herself up on her arms and even tries to stand on her feet, but she has difficulty with rollovers.

What to do in such a situation?

A child up to one year masters his body, starting from the head and ending with the legs. First comes the head, then the neck, shoulders and arms, back and legs. It is important to follow this sequence. When the baby is lying on his stomach, bend his arms at the elbows and place his palms down closer to the body. This is how the baby learns to raise his head with emphasis on his hands, that is, he masters his shoulders and arms. In parallel with this, the child learns another movement - twisting. It is responsible for turning from tummy to back.

Physical development specialist Ekaterina Leshchinskaya advises doing several exercises that will help.

  • Place the baby on his stomach with support on his forearms, take one elbow and push it under the baby's chest and slightly up. When you have managed to lay the baby on his side, take him by the thigh and “twist” him to a position on his back. Then do a reverse twist onto your tummy. Easily rotate your left hip, cross your left leg over your right, and at the same time push your shoulder girdle to rotate.
  • Place your baby on his back on your lap. With one hand, slowly move the toy in front of him from right to left, describing a semicircle. The baby will reach for the toy and turn its shoulders and arms.
  • Place the baby on a flat surface on his back. Turn his reed either to the right or to the left. After a little practice, move on to a more complex option. Rotate the hip, then twist and place your baby on his tummy, resting on his arms. Then turn it over onto its back - and so on several times. Then in the opposite direction.

WHAT TO DO IF A CHILD DOESN'T WANT TO CRAWL

What to do in such a situation?

  • Before, teach him to stand on all fours. Watch the baby. When he lies on his tummy, he should rest on his forearms and try to straighten his arms. If he has difficulty with this, try developing exercises for the hands.
  • When the task is completed with the arms, move on to the legs. Bend your child's legs like a frog. Don't expect the baby to crawl right away. He may get a little confused because he needs to push his legs back to crawl. This won't happen right away. Therefore, first you need to fix the standing on all fours. When the baby learns this, you can move on to crawling.
  • If there is a problem with the legs - the child does not want to put them in the frog pose and pulls them back - try the following exercise. Bend the legs like a frog, and lean the baby's arms towards you so that the baby stands almost vertically. Let the baby get used to this position and learn to maintain balance in this position.

Instill a love for sports

Of course, not all children should be athletes, but it is still necessary to try to instill in your child a love of sports. Let him try a variety of sports activities, maybe he will like to play team sports, or maybe it will be gymnastics or swimming. If he doesn’t want to study in the section, try to interest the child in joint walks, hiking trips, or just activities on the sports ground with his parents.


Almost all children love to spend time with their parents. Therefore, you yourself offer your child a bike ride or a game of football. Take the ball and go out to the playground together; over time, the child will get used to outdoor games and will suggest going out to play football or basketball. When he begins to show interest in outdoor games, never refuse to go out together to kick a ball or play badminton, because the next time you offer this to your child, he may refuse and again stick to the TV screen

Turn off the TV

For a long time, experts around the world have been sounding the alarm about the harm that prolonged television viewing causes to children’s health. Such a pastime not only provokes a sedentary lifestyle, but also contributes to excess weight gain in children, because while watching the next program, children consume an uncontrolled amount of junk food, such as chips, crackers, Coca-Cola, and other equally harmful foods. Therefore, even if the child is not inclined to active pastime, turn off the TV and invite him for a walk with the dog or to the playground.

Personal example of parents

Do not forget that the child will believe you only if he sees that mom and dad also spend their holidays actively, and not in front of the TV or computer.

The main motivation for a child is the example of their parents, if they do exercises every day, go for walks, jogs, the child will also try to imitate them.

If a child is embarrassed to run and jump because he is overweight, do not mock him, but encourage him for any manifestation of activity. Invite him to go jogging together in a secluded corner of the park. And as soon as he feels that he can be as active as his parents, he will gradually get used to it and begin to go out and play outdoor games in the yard with other children. In addition, regular physical activity will lead to excess weight loss and improve the overall health of the baby.


Children love fun games. Therefore, if you accompany outdoor games with funny comments, this will not only promote the child’s motor activity, but will bring him pleasure and fun. Invite him to stretch like a cat, jump like a bunny, run like a foal. The baby will gladly accept your offer, especially if you do it together. If your activities are accompanied by cheerful music, he will understand that movement is fun!

The article “If a child does not want to move” was published on the website http://site

Some children do not like to move; they prefer to quietly go about their business: watching cartoons, playing computer games, or simply sorting out their toys in the corner. However, it is worth remembering that in order for a child to grow healthy, he simply needs to move. The habit of being active begins in childhood, but accompanies a person throughout his life.

Instill a love for sports

Of course, not all children should be athletes, but it is still necessary to try to instill in your child a love of sports. Let him try a variety of sports activities, maybe he will like to play team sports, or maybe it will be gymnastics or swimming. If he doesn’t want to study in the section, try to interest the child in joint walks, hiking trips, or just activities on the sports ground with his parents.


Almost all children love to spend time with their parents. Therefore, you yourself offer your child a bike ride or a game of football. Take the ball and go out to the playground together; over time, the child will get used to outdoor games and will suggest going out to play football or basketball. When he begins to show interest in outdoor games, never refuse to go out together to kick a ball or play badminton, because the next time you offer this to your child, he may refuse and again stick to the TV screen

Turn off the TV

For a long time, experts around the world have been sounding the alarm about the harm that prolonged television viewing causes to children’s health. Such a pastime not only provokes a sedentary lifestyle, but also contributes to excess weight gain in children, because while watching the next program, children consume an uncontrolled amount of junk food, such as chips, crackers, Coca-Cola, and other equally harmful foods. Therefore, even if the child is not inclined to active pastime, turn off the TV and invite him for a walk with the dog or to the playground.

Personal example of parents

Do not forget that the child will believe you only if he sees that mom and dad also spend their holidays actively, and not in front of the TV or computer.

The main motivation for a child is the example of their parents, if they do exercises every day, go for walks, jogs, the child will also try to imitate them.

If a child is embarrassed to run and jump because he is overweight, do not mock him, but encourage him for any manifestation of activity. Invite him to go jogging together in a secluded corner of the park. And as soon as he feels that he can be as active as his parents, he will gradually get used to it and begin to go out and play outdoor games in the yard with other children. In addition, regular physical activity will lead to excess weight loss and improve the overall health of the baby.


Children love fun games. Therefore, if you accompany outdoor games with funny comments, this will not only promote the child’s motor activity, but will bring him pleasure and fun. Invite him to stretch like a cat, jump like a bunny, run like a foal. The baby will gladly accept your offer, especially if you do it together. If your activities are accompanied by cheerful music, he will understand that movement is fun!

Consulting young parents online, I often come across developmental issues and comparisons of my child with others: “But the neighbor’s baby is already sitting at 5 months... and a friend said that her daughter has been standing on her legs since 6 months... our child is not sitting yet - what to do” - and so on.

After listening to such stories, parents begin to doubt the correctness of their child’s development and begin “hard training” in order to achieve the results of friends and neighbors, often at the cost of the baby’s health. But are they right? Are special efforts needed to develop skills? First of all, I would like to note one important thing - the development of a child is an individual process, specially programmed in each cell of the body. It cannot be absolutely identical in different children, since there are no two absolutely identical babies, even among twins. The development of a child is a natural process and cannot be stimulated or forced. This will bring nothing but harm to the child, especially if parents who have no knowledge of children's anatomy or physiology undertake it. Help your child wisely!

General remarks

By about five to six months, babies learn basic skills - crawling and sitting; by six months, many children are able to sit down, leaning on their hands or sitting on their hips. In addition, the boundaries of a child's curiosity expand - from five months onwards, the baby can hold objects in his hands for a long time, he drags them into his mouth, licks and sucks them. Children become interested in putting their fingers and objects into rings, holes and slits, knocking on different surfaces with a toy, hitting them against each other. Toddlers can knead soft toys or rubber squeakers, and thus develop their brush, and the sounds of the toy develop associative connections.

To develop the skill of crawling, it is necessary to give the child the opportunity to move freely from about six months of age, preferably on the floor. There, the child feels more confident, he can calmly roll over, without the risk of falling and injuring himself, crawl in any direction, without the risk of hitting the headboard or bumping into corners. You can lay out bright soft toys on the floor, fence off the crawling area with bolsters and pillows, and put up pictures.

Before you begin developmental exercises, you need to prepare for the baby to crawl on the floor - the floors must be clean, warm and smooth. In winter, you can cover them with rugs or blankets, blankets; in summer, it is enough to wash them with disinfectants or soap. After washing, wipe the floors with clean water and let dry thoroughly.

Floors should be smooth - ideally wood, laminate, carpet or linoleum, although the latter can be slippery. The covering must be tightly attached to the floor and have no protruding seams or cracks. Crawl across all floors on all fours and remove as you go all objects that could fall from a push or pose another potential danger (cords, wires). Remove all possible small objects from the floor, make sure that access to heaters, radiators, and sockets is closed. Cover the sharp corners of furniture and doors with pillows or special pads, and place a closing lock on the door so that the baby does not get his fingers pinched.

For the first time, you can fence off a small “pen” of about 2x2 m in the middle of the room with chairs or a special fence, covering the inside of the side with a soft cloth. As the baby develops his skills, he will expand the boundaries of his territory.

Mastering crawling skills

First, crawling will have to be stimulated: place bright and beautiful toys in front of the baby so that he has a desire to reach for them. All children crawl in their own manner: some on their stomachs, others on all fours, others backing or sideways, on their legs outstretched or with their knees bent. However, there are some babies who skip the crawling process and immediately begin to walk, and earlier than other children.

Crawling is an important stage in the development of a child, and it is important not to miss this moment, and neurologists say that crawling for the further development of a child is even more important than his first steps - it greatly stimulates the development of the baby. It is when a baby crawls that connections between the hemispheres of the brain are established. Children who begin to crawl early develop both hemispheres more evenly; they do not have a clear predominance of one hemisphere over the other, and this is the key to success both in the exact sciences and in the humanities.

In addition, crawling at the age of 7-9 months is the optimal way to distribute physical activity across all muscle groups. Psychological and emotional stress in such children is directly related to physical activity. Due to the work of muscles, the active tone of the nervous system is maintained. The less the child moves, the slower and more passive he will perceive the world around him. In the future, this may manifest itself as withdrawal, uncertainty and emotional instability. If there is not enough load on the muscles, the skeleton and joints develop worse, the heart and blood vessels exercise little, blood circulation in the tissues is disrupted and metabolism slows down; A sedentary child has a worse immune system; such children get sick more often and longer.

Why don't babies want to crawl?

If you are trying to help your baby learn to crawl, but he stubbornly refuses to do it, you should first find out why the baby does not want to try to crawl on all fours. Experts identify eight main factors that can interfere with a child:

Underdevelopment of muscles or their weakness due to diseases, for example, rickets. The diagnosis is usually made by a pediatrician during a routine examination, and he also prescribes treatment and a course of massage. If you ignore the doctor’s advice and practice crawling on your own, such a child may seriously injure his ligaments and muscles.

Great weight and obesity. The baby's skeleton is still weak and cannot withstand the load of such weight. Overfed and very overweight children naturally lag behind in physical development, they later master all skills, it is simply very difficult for them to move.

Sedentary stay in bed as a result of a long illness or wearing orthopedic structures, frequent illnesses in the first six months of life. Usually, such kids a little later, having grown stronger, begin to actively catch up with their peers in development.

Various types of injuries to the arms and legs, fractures, sprains and dislocations, severe bruises. The pain prevents the child from moving freely.

The practice of tight swaddling prevents you from mastering some skills in a timely manner. Children who have been exposed to loose clothing from an early age learn to control their bodies earlier and begin to crawl earlier. If you cannot do without swaddling, then at every convenient opportunity, provide the child with freedom of movement - he should not always be swaddled.

Staying in a playpen for a long time and using jumpers and walkers does not give the child the opportunity to develop crawling skills. Of course, you can use the playpen for a few minutes a day to do the necessary homework, but in total the child should not be there for more than 2 hours a day and no more than half an hour at a time. But doctors generally do not approve of walkers and jumpers.

Predisposition to late crawling, inherited. Doctors have long noticed that physical development skills are inherited, boys usually inherit their father's traits, and girls - their mother's. Ask your parents about your development and expect progress in your little one around the same time.

Lack of interest in crawling. The parents' task is to interest the child so much that he cannot resist the temptation to crawl for his favorite object or toy.

We teachXia crawl

By about five months, the child becomes more dexterous and has sufficient control of his body and coordinates movements. The baby will try to roll over from his back to his stomach and back, he grabs small toys that are hung above the crib, lifts his body with outstretched arms while lying on his stomach and reaches forward with his hand to take something. This indicates to parents that the child has grown to crawling. However, physical readiness for crawling is not enough; it is necessary to develop practical crawling skills and hone your skills.

There is a common myth among parents that only a weakened or developmentally delayed child needs help in crawling, while healthy children will master these skills themselves. But this is not entirely true. Some children, of course, are able to coordinate and sense the correct movement tactics, and they try to do everything on their own, moving on four points of support. However, most babies find crawling difficult at first and need help. Of course, time will give all the skills the opportunity to develop, and the child will still learn to crawl, walk, and run, but he will do it slower than the peers with whom he studied from birth.

You shouldn’t let the process take its course; Often the child develops correctly for the first three to four months, and parents stop working with him, which is a mistake. By 6-8 months, the baby begins to have problems with the development of the motor sphere and lag behind in development from peers.

Preparing a small child to crawl and explore new spaces begins with air and water baths and massages. Massages do not have to be done by paid specialists. For the most part, the parents themselves cope well with the usual complex of massage and gymnastics; only regularity and systematicity are important. You need to engage in physical education from the first days of life and not wait until the baby grows up and gets stronger - then it will be too late.

The main effect of a massage performed by mom or dad is blood flow to the muscles and ligaments, increasing their tone and improving skin nutrition, irritating reflexogenic zones. The result is an improvement in muscle tone and activity of the baby, increased metabolism and the development of various body functions.

The simplest exercises with the baby are shown by a nurse or neonatologist upon discharge, or by your local doctor; complexes (and even with pictures) can be found on the Internet. The massage is carried out twice a day, stroking and rubbing the muscles for 10-15 minutes a day before swimming or after breakfast. Movements should be light and smooth, not cause discomfort to the baby and bring only positive emotions. The basic rule is that the process starts from the periphery, from the arms and legs, and goes to the center of the body.

Reflex gymnastics, which is based on innate (unconditioned) reflexes, is very useful for further crawling. They run their fingers along the spine, stimulating the extension of the back, giving support to the heels so that the baby can push off with them. It is important to lay the baby naked on his stomach and let him move his whole body; he will raise his head and wave his arms and legs. Lying on your stomach is generally beneficial, it helps relieve gases and strengthens your abdominal muscles. As time passes, the baby begins to rise on his forearms and lift his upper body, pushes off the surface with his legs and, as a result, crawls - sometimes backwards, but this is also useful. Then he will learn to crawl in all directions.

At about three months, simple physical exercises are added to the massage - they cross the arms and legs, make circular movements with them, sit down and arch the body, turn the baby from the back to the tummy and back (first the mother does the turns, then the baby learns to do it himself). As soon as the baby learns to roll over from side to side well, he will make attempts to crawl on his own or with the help of his parents.

If the baby is physically developed and healthy, it’s time to act. Place your baby on his tummy on a hard surface, and place a new or especially favorite toy at a short distance. Then push the baby a little towards it so that he can stretch and crawl a little, and not immediately reach it. Our son crawled for the TV remote control. As you succeed, move the treasured item further and further away from the little one...

In the second part of the article we will talk about other important skills - sitting and walking.