When we think about motor development, we often focus on the big milestones: rolling over, sitting, crawling, and walking. But these exciting achievements rest on a foundation of smaller, purposeful movements that develop in a predictable order. Among these early skills, tracking—both visually and auditorily—plays a vital role in helping babies explore and interact with their world, setting the stage for more complex motor skills.

The Predictable Timeline of Motor Development

Motor skills don’t happen by chance—they follow a natural, predictable timeline. Each skill builds on the previous one, creating a chain of abilities that help babies master their environment. For example, before a baby can crawl, they need the muscle control, coordination, and confidence developed through earlier movements like reaching, grasping, and rolling.

What Is Tracking and Why Is It Important?

Tracking refers to a baby’s ability to follow objects, sounds, and faces with their eyes and head. This skill is the cornerstone of hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. Visual tracking, in particular, helps babies understand where objects are in relation to their bodies, which is essential for reaching and grasping.

According to Stanford Medicine, newborns begin to develop their vision within weeks of birth. By 1-2 months, babies should start tracking moving objects with their eyes, and by 3 months, they often follow objects by turning their head. This skill isn’t just about vision—it builds the foundation for physical movements like reaching, rolling, and crawling.

Important Precursor Skills to Watch For

Here are some early skills that pave the way for more complex motor development:

• Tracking Visually: Following a toy or face with their eyes, helping build hand-eye coordination.

• Tracking Auditory Sounds: Turning their head toward familiar voices or noises, which helps improve spatial awareness and neck control.

• Following Faces: Moving their head and eyes to watch a caregiver’s face, building social engagement and muscle control.

• Finding and Exploring Their Hands: Discovering their own hands helps babies begin to understand how they can control their bodies.

• Batting at Items: Reaching for and batting at toys strengthens upper body muscles and develops coordination.

How These Skills Prepare for Future Milestones

Each of these early abilities supports the development of gross motor skills:

• Strengthening Muscles: Tracking, reaching, and batting build the muscles needed for rolling, sitting, and crawling.

• Improving Coordination: These actions fine-tune hand-eye and head-eye coordination, essential for grabbing objects and later self-feeding.

• Encouraging Curiosity: Exploring their surroundings and responding to stimuli help babies feel confident about moving their bodies.

How Parents and Caregivers Can Help

You can encourage these early skills through simple, engaging activities:

• Use high-contrast toys or bold patterns to stimulate visual tracking.

• Gently move a toy or your face back and forth to encourage head and eye movement.

• Talk and sing to your baby, helping them locate the source of your voice.

• Offer toys within arm’s reach to inspire reaching, batting, and grasping.

Conclusion

Motor skill development begins long before a baby learns to crawl or walk. By focusing on early skills like visual and auditory tracking, following faces, and batting at toys, you’re helping your baby build the foundation for success. These small but mighty movements ensure their motor skills unfold naturally and predictably, setting them up for future milestones.

Encourage these early movements daily, and celebrate every step in your baby’s journey—they’re working hard to explore their world, one skill at a time!

Happy Reaching and Grasping!

Ali