North Carolina Early Learning and Development Progressions: Birth to Five

Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Health and Physical Development (HPD)

Subdomain: Motor Development

Goal: Children develop the large muscle control and abilities needed to move through and explore their environment.

Skill Progression: Standing

Age: 2-4 Months

You may choose a different domain, go back, or click on a skill below for more information.

When put into stand and supported under the arms, extends legs and keeps the body in the same plane from shoulders to feet

Situations for Observation of Skill

Observe the baby in a supported upright position with feet on the floor or table.

Elicitation Strategy

The adult holds the infant under the arms and lowers her legs so feet touch the floor.

Behavior Observed

Infants have reflexes that encourage leg extension in different positions. When the foot contacts the solid surface the child pushes against it. The whole body aligns.

Routines-based Intervention (Embedded Instruction)

Reflexes often stimulate actions that encourage the child to use certain muscles. The child needs these experiences so her muscles activate and practice different movements. Encourage parents to provide sufficient supports, but also allow the infant to feel the movements of her body in different positions, and in contact with various surfaces.

 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015

©2015 by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.