Find resources / Activities / Tracking Activity

• 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.

• 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