/Our services (A to Z)/Physiotherapy (ICAN)/Developing your child’s movement skills: Lying on their tummy (ICAN)
Activities to develop lying on the tummy (prone)
Ideas and advice for parents and carers
General information
- Movement skills learned in lying are the building blocks of more complex movements such as sitting, standing and walking.
- Use only the positions your child is ready to use.
- A “little and often” approach works well for harder positions such as tummy-lying, but make sure your child has plenty of time in between where they are lying in an easier position.
Prone (lying on tummy)
- Prone is an important position for developing head control, shoulder control and moving weight from one arm to the other in preparation for crawling.
- As children learn to push up on their arms, they begin to take more weight on their hips, which helps develop control of the hip muscles as well.
- Your child will be able to look around them more as they learn to lift their head for longer.
Sequence
- Lifting head with body fully supported
- Propping on elbows
- Propping on hands
- Reaching for toy with hand on surface
- Reaching for toy in the air
- Pivoting on the spot
Ideas
Lifting head with body fully supported
Lifting head with body fully supported
High support position
- Lying on your tummy with support around chest
- Gently lift child’s chest up
Encourage
- Arms forward
- Lifting head in midline
- Weight bearing on elbows
- Little and often
Play ideas
- Eye contact with adult (lie down in front of your child)
- Smiles
- Funny faces
Propping on elbows
Propping on elbows
Medium support position
- On floor, rolled up towel under chest
Encourage
- Arms forward
- Lifting head in midline
- Weight bearing on elbows
- Reaching forwards with one arm on floor level, for example, for rattle or toy
Play ideas
- Touchy-feely mats
- Water filled mats
- Knocking down bricks
- Looking in mirror
- Looking at books
Minimal support position
- As time goes by and control increases, remove towel
Encourage
- Arms forward
- Lifting head in midline
- Supporting themselves on their forearms
- Reaching forwards and up with one arm
at a time
Play ideas
- Touchy-feely mats
- Water filled mats
- Push and go cars or animals
- Rolling ball
- Looking in mirror
Propping on hands
Propping on hands
Position
- Lift child’s chest to help them put hands down then
- Hand on bottom to stabilise
- May need support at elbows initially
- Toys in front on floor level, then slightly raised
Encourage
- Pushing up on both hands together
- Hands under shoulders
More advanced, reaching forwards or reaching up while supporting themselves on other hand
Play ideas
- Water filled mats
- Knocking down bricks
- Rolling ball or drum
- Baby piano
- Lift the flap or touchy-feely books
- Push and go cars or animals
Pivoting or turning on the spot
Pivoting or turning on the spot
- Pivoting while lying on the tummy helps develop arm muscles, early crawling skills and independence
- Place toys to the side of child while they lie on their tummy
- Place your hand over child’s hips to prevent rolling, help them to move one arm at a time in the direction of the toy
- Practice going in both directions
