7 Reasons Why Crawling Is Important

Crawling is an important skill in a child’s development. In an ideal world we want children to choose crawling as their preferred method of early mobility prior to learning to walk, however, this is not always the way your child chooses to move around. Lots of children choose to bottom shuffle, roll or commando crawl on their tummies.

Lorna Saunders Founder of Positive Steps Physiotherapy has identified seven reasons why crawling is important:

1. Hip Development

Weight bearing on knees helps hips develop correctly.

2. Shoulder Stability

Crawling will help strengthen a child’s shoulders.

3. Core Strength

Improves trunk control and core strength.

4. Coordination

Improves overall coordination and joint awareness.

5. Learning to walk

Crawling helps access furniture to allow a child to pull to stand.

6. Contralateral (left & right) Movement

It is essential to learn to use right and left side together.  

7. Building good foundations

Important in aiding development of coordination and balance as children grow.

Read our full article on Why Crawling is Important here.

Download your FREE Why Crawl? Poster here.

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Lorna Saunders founded Positive Steps Physiotherapy in 2017. With over 23 years’ experience as a Paediatric Physiotherapist, she has grown Positive Steps Physiotherapy to a team of 5, providing help for more children to find the freedom to move and play. Positive Steps Physiotherapy and Daytot have a shared belief that children should be able to move freely, and we want them to do this from an early age, maximising their outcomes and minimising the possibility of developmental delay.