01 Head Lifting Exercises
As his back and neck muscles gradually strengthen and his trunk, head, and neck balance develop, he will face a greater challenge - sitting up. First, he needs to learn to lift his head while lying on his tummy. During his wakeful moments, place him on the bed with his arms stretched forward, then shake a rattle or another attractive toy in front of him to grab his attention, encouraging him to lift his head. This is also a good way to check his hearing and vision.
Once he can lift his head, the baby will start supporting himself with his arms, arching his back to lift his chest. This strengthens his upper body, enabling him to maintain stability and an upright position when sitting. While lifting his head, he will also wiggle, kick, and "swim" with his arms while lying on his tummy. These actions typically occur when the baby is around 5 months old and are necessary for rolling over and crawling.
02 Rolling Over Exercises
By the end of this stage, he is likely to have learned to roll from tummy to back and from back to tummy. However, different babies may develop these abilities at different ages. Most babies learn to roll from tummy to back first, but if he learns to roll from back to tummy first, that's entirely normal too.
03 Sitting Balance Exercises
Once the child can lift the upper body, you can help him practice sitting. Support him with your hands or a pillow behind his waist to help him balance his body. Soon he will learn the "tripod" sitting position, leaning forward with both arms supporting and balancing the upper body. As he practices maintaining balance, you can place some interesting toys in front of him for him to look at. It will take some time for him to sit up on his own without your assistance, but before 6-8 months old, if you help him sit up, he can sit without arm support for a while.
04 Exploring the Body
With improved body coordination, babies begin to explore body parts they were previously unaware of. While lying on the bed, he may grab his feet and toes, attempting to put them in his mouth. During diaper changes, he may reach to touch his genitals. While sitting, he may slap his knees or thighs with his hands. During these explorations, he discovers many novel and interesting sensations and begins to understand the functions of different body parts. When you place his tiny feet on the floor, he may curl his toes to rub against the ground, practicing "walking" or bouncing up and down with his feet and legs. Note! These are all preparations for the next stage of important skills - crawling and standing.
Motor Development Milestones for Babies aged 4-7 Months:
Can roll from tummy to back and from back to tummy.
Can sit steadily supported by both hands, then sit steadily without support.
Can support the weight of the entire body with legs.
Can grasp objects with one hand.
Can transfer objects from one hand to the other.
Can grasp (but not yet pinch) objects.