Tracking
Supporting vision is crucial in the first two years of life. Eye-muscle control is developed as baby ‘tracks’ (follows a moving object). Turn this into a game, while also making life-long healthy connections between the baby’s eyes and their brain.
Why do it?
- Baby’s vision develops through opportunities to look at things.
- These experiences make connections between brain cells inside the vision centres, and between vision centres and other parts of the brain.
- Around 3 months old baby can move their head and eyes to follow something — or someone — moving past them. This skill is called ‘tracking’.
- Baby is attracted to look at things that move.
- Tracking ability increases with practice.
How to do it
- Have baby lying in a safe place, such as on a blanket on the floor.
- Place yourself where baby can see you, and move something slowly from one side of baby to the other side.
- The distance between baby and the moving object should be about the distance between mum’s face and baby’s face when baby’s feeding (about 30 cm).
- Baby could track (follow with their eyes) your face, a page of a black and white book, or a strongly coloured toy.
- You could try holding a rattle in front of baby, and invite them to hold it.
- Keep repeating these activities a few times each day and watch what baby learns.
Using more reo Māori
| Te reo Māori | English |
|---|---|
| Titiro | Look |
| Tirohia | Inspect, examine |
| Kite | To see |
| Mātaki | Watch, observe |
| Roro | Brain |
| Karu | Eye |
| Karu hōmiromiro | A person with sharp eyesight |
| Titiro ki tēnei | Look at this |
| Nukunuku | Move about |
| Anō | Do it again |
| Āta | Carefully/purposefully |
| Mua | Front |
| Muri | Back |
| Taha | Side |
| Matau | Right |
| Mauī | Left |
| Runga | On |
| Raro | Under |
| Kei hea te | Where is the .... |
| Mea | Thing |
| Taonga tākaro | Toy |
| Ngā taputapu tākaro | Play things |
