Toddler Gross Motor
After completing an activity please fill out the Activity Completion Log.
Run and Walk Together
Go outside with your child and show him a few special ways of moving.
Exaggerate your walking steps and say “Look at me walking.”
Start to run as you say, “Now I am running.”
Take your child’s hand and repeat the motions with him.
Use the words run and walk as you perform the action so that your child will remember the difference between the words.
Encourage your child to invent some special ways of moving such as running in a circle, galloping like a horse, running in circles, or walking very slowly.
Listen for the words run, walk, fast, and slow in your child’s speech. Offer encouraging response when he uses them. Example, “ You’re right, we walk inside and run outside.”
“Bumpy Blanket”
What you’ll need:
1) Blankets
2) Small and large pillows
3) Towels and small cloths
4) A few toys
What you’ll do:
1) Set up a blanket in area where your children can move freely
2) Put large pillows, small pillows, and balled up towels underneath the blanket
3) Model creeping, crawling or walking across the blanket
4) Encourage your child to move across the blanket
Pool Noodle Balance Beam
What you’ll need:
1) Pool noodle
What you’ll do:
1) Place the pool noodle away from anything that may injure your child.
2) Start by placing the noodle by your bed.
3) Have you toddler try to balance and have them walk on the beam with the help of furniture.
4) Then move the water noodle away from the bed and have them practice balancing by spreading their arms out.
Teaching Strategies
Flying Disk in Motion
Primary Objectives
6. Demonstrates gross motor manipulative skills
21a. Understand spatial relationships
Why It’s Important
A child beginning to experiment with objects and their position in space may need adult guidance to understand how to manipulate those objects. By imitating an adult’s actions, your child may begin to recognize how objects move and the many ways in which they can be positioned.
Materials
Flying disk toys (Frisbee)
What You Do
1. Place the disks in an unoccupied area on the floor or outside on the ground.
2. Invite your child to join you in playing with the flying disks. Encourage her to explore one of the disks and talk about its attributes. (shape, color, rough, smooth)
3. Once your child is comfortable holding the disk, ask her to hold it with one hand. Invite her to complete a series of positional tasks with the disk, such as holding it her behind, between her knees, and above her feet. Perform each motion yourself and encourage your child to imitate your movements. Other examples; Now put it on your elbow. Now put it next to your ear.
4. Ask your child to think of another way to hold the disk. Follow her motions as she leads. Encourage her to think of creative ways to use the disk (as a steering wheel, hat, or tray, for example)
5. You can extend this activity by using other objects such as scarves, beanbags, balls, or hockey pucks.
Hallway Laser Maze
What you’ll need:
1) Crepe paper (streamers)
2) Ball of yarn or long string or ribbon
3) Masking tape
What you’ll do:
1) Using the streamers (or ribbons/ball of yarn), create an obstacle course in your hall way.
2) Use masking tape for the maze so you don’t damage your walls.
3) Tape the streamers in a zig zag pattern, back and forth, high and low down the hall.
4) Try to make the maze hard enough so that your toddler can’t just crawl under the entire thing.
5) Encourage your toddler to treat it like a real laser maze and to try not to touch any of the streamers when they go through it.