The fine motor skill babies love (and parents sometimes hate)

Between 9 and 10 months, many babies start learning how to release, or drop, objects from their grip in a controlled and purposeful way. While this new fine motor skill can be frustrating for parents at times—especially during meals—it’s an important milestone that can be encouraged with simple activities.

Here’s how to support voluntary release

1. If they aren’t yet releasing objects voluntarily, you can gently tap, rub, or stroke the back of your baby’s hand to encourage them to open their fingers and let go. 
2. Ask them to hand you an object they’re holding. This often works best if you have something to trade ❤️
3. Give them a kitchen pot and wood blocks to drop into it. The satisfying sound the blocks make when they hit the bottom will inspire them to continue.
4. The Ball Drop Box is also a great tool for practicing this emerging skill.

The Block Set

A brilliant set of 70 quality solid-wood blocks for building spatial, language, and problem-solving skills for more than 20 stage-based activities. See inside The Block Set by Lovevery.

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The Inspector Play Kit

The Inspector Play Kit exposes your 7 – 8 month old to the world with detailed sensory experiences by exploring texture, practicing nesting and stacking, and learning about object permanence.

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