Activities to develop pull to stand

Position

• Start with child sitting on their bottom, side on to the support
• Help or encourage them to move across in to side sitting
• Sofa roughly at chest height for child kneeling (see picture) with toys on top
• Place child’s hands on to sofa then support at their hips and guide them across on to their knees

Encourage

• Reaching in all directions
• Kneeling back on feet (low kneel) then later, kneeling up and reaching (high kneel)
• Holding the position on their own

Play ideas

• Cause and effect or light and sound toys
• Mirror
• Books
• Toys or treats on sofa or table (stable surface)

Kneeling to sitting

• Guide your child back to sitting on their feet, then guide their bottom down to the side into side-sitting
• Help your child turn their legs to move from side sitting to normal sitting
• Practise to both sides until your child decides which side they prefer

Position

• Not leaning on surface with tummy, but holding on with hands
• Gradually reduce support you give for child to get in to and hold position

Encourage

• Turning and reaching to sides for toys
• Moving between low kneeling and high kneeling
• Reaching up to higher surfaces

Play ideas

• Reaching for toys
• Push along toys, for example, cars, balls
• Click clack track or ball run
• Posting or shape sorting toys

• Many children start pulling to stand by ‘hauling’ themselves up through their arms.
• Moving through half kneeling is a more advanced skill and requires your child to shift their weight to one side whilst moving the other leg forwards to push through.

Position

• Support child at hips while they are kneeling at the table / sofa (A)
• Guide their weight over their LEFT leg while helping them bring their RIGHT leg forward (so foot flat on floor as B)
• Push down gently over their RIGHT leg whilst starting to lift them from their LEFT hip to encourage your child to come into standing (C)

Encourage

• Your child to join in the movement and push up
• Practise coming up and lowering through both sides until your child finds which way is easier

Play ideas

• Place favourite toys on surface

Position

• Standing from box sitting is easier than going from the floor (see picture A), for example, from your knee, low box or child sized chair
• Table in front, toy just out of reach
• Gently guide your child’s hips forwards and up so that their chest comes forward over their feet (“nose over toes”)

Encourage

• Your child to push up themselves
• The forward movement of their upper body over the feet
• Child’s hips, knees and feet should be in line (see picture B) in standing
• Supporting with hands on table rather than leaning on tummy

Play ideas

• Posting games
• In or out of box games
• Nursery rhymes
• “Grand Old Duke of York”
• Piano

Position

• Place toys that motivate your child on furniture around the room
• Initially your child will lean on their tummy and have their feet wide apart

Encourage

• Feet shoulder width apart
• Hands to support rather than leaning on tummy
• Reaching to sides for toys, only just out of reach!
• As balance improves, encourage holding on with one hand and reaching to the sides, behind them and turning to look over their shoulders
• To lower back from standing, help child bend one knee, lower back to half kneel then down to kneeling and on to floor
• Children often just “bump” down backwards and land on their bottom initially

Play ideas

• Favourite toys at standing height
• Playing hide and seek, toys placed under cushions
• Cause and effect or push button toys
• Bubbles