FM.A.3 TRACKS AN OBJECT 90° LYING

‘Tracks’ is another term for ‘follows’. At this early stage, the child needs good head support to follow objects, so we teach this skill first in the lying position.

How to Assess

Materials: A brightly coloured toy, such as a red wool pompom.

Method: Place your child on his back – his face will usually be turned to one side at this age. Shake the toy until he looks at it, then move it slowly in a half-circle, through 90°. Move the object at right angles to the child’s body.

Score plus if your child’s eyes follow the toy through approximately 90°. He need not cross the midline.

How to Teach

You will need brightly coloured toys, some noisy, some quiet. Teach your child to follow the object little by little. If he can follow it through 10°, aim for 15, and so on.

The first ‘object’ to use is your face. Attract his attention and, talking all the time, move slowly through the distance you have decided on.

When he is following your face, try a drawn face. Then try a noisy toy, such as a rattle. Lastly, introduce a quiet but colourful toy.

Always move very slowly, and give him plenty of time to bring his gaze back to the object if his attention has wandered.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

Same as for FM.A.2.

Remembering and Extending

A little later you will work on tracking through 180°. You can start now to gradually extend the distance, or you can maintain his current skill through practice until you are ready to start this new objective.

You will find it interesting to watch the ways in which he uses this skill in his daily life. He will begin to follow people as they move around the room, or watch people’s faces as they rise from sitting to standing. It is important to position your baby with this in mind – let him spend part of his day propped up so that he is not facing the ceiling.