Tracking Falling Objects
Parent holds attractive objects above baby's head and drops them, encouraging baby to track the falling movement with their eyes and find where objects land. The agent coaches the parent to observe visual tracking, reaching behavior, and early cause-and-effect understanding.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
Baby seated or supported in a semi-upright position with pillows or in parent's lap. Two to three colorful, eye-catching toys. Soft surface below for toys to land on.
How it works
- 1~25s
Hold one of the toys above your child's head — maybe about a foot or so up — and make sure they is looking at it. You can shake it gently or tap it to get their attention. Once your child's eyes are on it, let it drop. Watch your child's eyes — do they follow the toy as it falls? Does they look down to where it landed? The ability to track a falling object is a wonderful visual skill. Tell me what your child's eyes did.
Watch for: Baby tracks a falling object with eyes, following it from above to where it lands.
- 2~30s
Now drop the toy again, but this time after it lands, wait a moment. Does your child look toward where it fell? Does they reach for it? If it's within their reach, see if they tries to grab it. Help your child pick it up if it's nearby. The reaching part tells us about hand-eye coordination — can your child connect seeing the toy with reaching for it?
Watch for: Baby reaches for the fallen object and attempts to grasp it.
- 3~30s
If your child managed to grab the toy, watch what they does with it. Does they bring it to their mouth? Does they shake it? Does they look at it closely? Now try dropping a different toy and see if your child is more excited to track this one — babies often get more engaged as they understand the game. Does your child seem to anticipate the next drop?
Watch for: Baby shakes, mouths, or actively explores the toy after grasping it.
- 4~25s
Let's try one more drop. Hold the toy up again and watch your child's face before you drop it. Does they look up at the toy? Does they seem to know what's coming? Some babies start to smile or kick with excitement when they realize the game is about to happen again. After you drop it, see if your child looks down faster this time. Tell me about any signs of anticipation.
Watch for: Baby shows anticipation of the drop and tracks more efficiently on repeated trials.