Body Awareness - Parent information for children aged 0 to 2 years

Effects of vision impairment on child's development can include:

• interference with the development of self-image
• less incidental learning because of fewer ways of observing what others are doing
• use of voice and touch to ‘fill in’ the gaps where there is no visual input
• less experience of movement. Vision impaired babies tend to lie very still because they are listening to what is happening around them
• less head and body control. Visually impaired children often dislike being on their front or chest so do not have as many opportunities to lift their head

Activities to encourage self awareness:

• lots of cuddles!! – Carry them around, so that they begin to be aware of ‘self’ and ‘mum’ or ‘other people’
• play games on your lap, including rhythmical movements, like swaying, bouncing, rocking. Songs or rhymes which involve the body being tickled, for example, ‘round and round the garden rhyme’
• blow gently or blow ’raspberries’ on their feet, hands, back, tummy, neck and ears
• tickle their body all over with your fingers
• brush all over their body with a soft brush
• smooth their skin with the flat of your hands, using baby cream or lighted scented oil
• lie them on the floor, or in your arms with few clothes on so that they can feel their skin on your skin
• If they haven’t found their feet, touch them, tickle them and bring their hands up to feel them. Put bells on their feet as an auditory clue for them to know they are the maker of the sound
• touch other parts of their body, name them and put their hands on each part
• sing lots of rhymes that involve touching parts of the body
• as they become more mobile, roll with them on the floor, let them climb over you so that they become aware of how your body is constructed, its size and how it moves
• compare body parts, for example, ‘mum’s foot’ or 'Jake's foot'

Give you and your baby time to do these activities, nothing should be rushed. These are learning experiences for you both and need a distraction free environment so that they become meaningful sessions. Offer a variety of activities on a daily basis as well as the routine opportunities, for example, bathtime. Try different floor surfaces, for example, carpet, bed, or on a play mat offering a variety of textures and surface resistance.

Further activities for later development:

• lying on tummy
• at first lift their shoulders and let them rest with their chest over a folded blanket, rolled up mat or pillow. It is important for your child to learn to lift their shoulders and chest whilst on the tummy
• lie on the floor in front of them, face to face and talk. Encourage them to place their hands on your face and then encourage them to place their hands flat on the floor
• place baby over a peek-a-boo inflatable roller and put objects and toys in front of them to encourage them to reach and explore
• objects of interest can include favourite toy, crinkly paper and foil, musical object, light toy, a propped-up mirror, textured toys – sponges, pom poms, a variety of balls or spoons on a metal tray

Developing head control:

• place your child sitting on your lap or in a prone position, stroking and talking to them with lots of soothing intonation in your voice to encourage positive associations
• when they are on their tummy, blow gently onto the back of the head – they may raise the head to feel the breeze
• when lying on the back, tuck a folded blanket under their shoulders and place a hanging mobile in front of them which is visually or auditory stimulating to encourage them to reach forward to touch
• place baby face forward over a large beach ball or gym ball, holding their hips whilst you roll them forwards and backwards
• lie on your back with child on your tummy very close to your face, blow on the forehead, to encourage them to look up to the breeze
• when you know they have established some head control, kneel over the baby as they lie facing you on their back. Hold their hands and gently encourage them to lift and lower the head as you say, ‘up and down’

If you would like advice related to Child or Young Person with a vision impairment, please contact the Vision Support Service.