April 2006

Fine Tuning the Alligator Crawl by Kathy Orth

As you watch a baby as she makes her first attempts to move across the floor you might see the prototype for what S.M.A.R.T. teachers call "The Alligator Crawl".

The baby is flat on her tummy.   She extends her right hand forward, flat on the floor, just a little in front of her nose. She automatically pulls her left leg into a 90 degree angle as she digs the side of her foot into the carpet and pushes off. Wow!   Her chin and chest remain close to the floor and her right hand flips slightly as she replicates the same action with her left hand and right leg. Voila! She discovers how to successfully and efficiently propel herself across the floor.

This activity does much more than to get her from point A to point B. It is designed to help her develop coordination at the basic level and to integrate both sides of her brain.

So, how can you, as a S.M.A.R.T. teacher, help your students to make these actions just as efficient and automatic?

First, ensure that she is aiming at the middle of the floor in front of her nose. You might try taping a line down the center of the mat or the floor. Tell her to slap the line as she moves along. You might also shine the beam from a small penlight or laser pointer on the floor, just in front of her. Tell her to slap the "mosquito" as she goes forward. Telling her to "slap" is a gentle reminder to keep the hand flat.

If you have students who use the left arm and the left leg and then the right arm and right leg, a homolateral crawl, allow them to continue crawling in this fashion. Recognize that, with enough crawling, the homolateral pattern will mature into a "cross pattern". These students will benefit from EXTRA Alligator Crawling.