In early childhood education, gross motor development is a cornerstone of learning. When children climb, jump, balance, and run, they’re not just using energy, they’re building essential skills that prepare them for future learning across all areas of development.
Whether you’re an early years educator looking to add more movement to your day or a parent searching for developmentally appropriate ideas to support your preschooler’s growth at home, gross motor activities offer powerful learning through play. In this article, we’ll explore what gross motor skills are, why they matter, and 20 thoughtful, inclusive activities that foster both physical confidence and joy.
Gross motor skills are large-body movements involving the arms, legs, and core. They include actions like: Running, jumping, climbing, throwing and catching, balancing, rolling, crawling and dancing to name a few.
These foundational movements help children strengthen muscles, improve coordination, and gain body awareness. They also prepare children for more complex tasks like sitting upright at a table, navigating stairs, or even holding a pencil (through postural stability).
Gross motor development is about more than “letting off steam.” In fact, regular movement supports every aspect of a child’s growth:
Physical health: Strengthens muscles, bones, and cardiovascular fitness
Cognitive development: Supports spatial awareness, memory, and executive functioning
Self-regulation: Helps children manage emotions, reduce stress, and improve focus
Social skills: Encourages teamwork, communication, and turn-taking
Readiness for learning: Improves balance and posture, essential for classroom participation
Movement is a child’s first language. When we provide opportunities to move, we are supporting their natural ways of learning and expressing themselves.
Gross motor activities should be inclusive and adaptable. While many of the ideas below are designed with preschoolers in mind (ages 3–5), they can easily be simplified for toddlers or adapted for children with physical or sensory differences.
Consider:
Offering choices: Let children decide how they move or how long they engage
Adjusting intensity: Provide quiet movement options alongside more vigorous ones
Creating safe, accessible environments: Indoors or outdoors, ensure safety and ease of movement for all abilities
These activities require minimal equipment and can be woven into daily routines. Most can be done in any early years setting, classroom, home, or outdoor space:
Invite children to move like different animals:
Bear crawl (hands and feet on the floor)
Frog jump (crouch and spring)
Snake slither (on belly)
Flamingo stand (balance on one leg)
Why it’s great: Encourages imaginative play while building strength, coordination, and balance.
Toddler version: Focus on just one or two animals with slow, exaggerated movements. Encourage children to pick up cards with animal pictures on them, and move like the animal on their card.
Set up an indoor or outdoor course using cones, tunnels, balance beams, pillows, or hula hoops.
Include:
Crawl under a table
Jump over a rope
Walk on a taped line
Throw beanbags into a bin
Learning links: Problem-solving, sequencing, motor planning.
Variation: Time them or turn it into a cooperative challenge.
Use floor tape or chalk to draw lines or shapes. Ask children to:
Jump over lines
Hop between shapes
Leap from one side to the other
What it develops: Leg strength, directional awareness, body control.
Extend it: Use numbers, letters, or color-coded targets to integrate early literacy or numeracy.
Use soft balls or beanbags. Start with rolling to build confidence, then progress to underhand throws and catching with both hands.
Why it matters: Eye-hand coordination, focus, bilateral integration.
Inclusive tip: Use balloons or scarves for slower movement and more success.
Set up simple goalposts using cones or chairs. Children can kick a ball into the goal, take turns being the goalie, or set their own challenges.
Skills built: Coordination, balance, aim, spatial awareness.
Adaptation: Use beach balls or foam balls for gentle kicks.
Play “Simon Says” with only gross motor actions:
“Simon says touch your toes.”
“Simon says jump up and down.”
“Simon says march in a circle.”
Why it's valuable: Builds listening, impulse control, and body awareness.
Modify for toddlers: Remove the “Simon says” rule and simply follow the leader.
Lay masking tape on the floor or use a low wooden beam. Have children walk heel-to-toe or sideways.
Variation: Carry a small object while balancing or add simple dance steps.
Skills: Core strength, posture, and focus.
Play music and give children scarves or ribbons. Encourage swaying, spinning, or copying rhythms.
Bonus: Great for calming transitions or sensory seekers.
Indoor tip: Use scarves in tight spaces where running isn’t safe.
If you have a parachute (or large sheet), try classic games:
Shake and lift
Run under
Mushroom dome
Hide-and-seek object guessing
Why it's gold: Gross motor plus teamwork and sensory input.
Safety tip: Always supervise and encourage slow, controlled movements.
Have children lie on scooter boards and propel with arms or legs across a marked path.
Motor skills targeted: Shoulder strength, core control, spatial planning.
Adapt for younger ages: Use smaller paths and offer hand-over-hand support.
Encourage climbing on playgrounds, soft play structures, or safely stacked cushions. Supervise carefully.
Why it’s essential: Builds whole-body strength, confidence, and risk assessment.
Indoor alternative: Step stools or stairs with support.
Put on upbeat music. When the music stops, everyone freezes in place.
Teaches: Self-regulation, attention control, balance.
Fun twist: Ask children to freeze like a statue or animal.
Lay a line of pillows or mats. Children step from one to the next without “falling in the lava.”
Gross motor challenge: Balance, planning, leg strength.
Modify: Add a treasure hunt element with small objects along the path.
Set up empty plastic bottles and roll a soft ball to knock them over.
Developmental benefits: Hand-eye coordination, aim, and grip.
Extend it: Add numbers to bottles for early math games.
Give children a balloon and challenge them to keep it in the air using only hands or other body parts!
Great for: Reaction time, agility, and laughter.
Indoor bonus: Quiet and safe, especially in limited spaces.
Create a hopscotch board with chalk or tape. Children jump on one foot or both across the pattern.
Teaches: Number recognition, sequencing, balance, and rhythm.
Preschool twist: Use shapes, animals, or colors instead of numbers.
Make noise while moving! Use tambourines, drums, or even feet to create rhythm. March around in line or in a circle.
Why it’s fantastic: Combines gross motor with auditory learning and group play.
Create crawl tunnels with chairs and blankets or use pop-up tunnels.
Encourages: Bilateral coordination, spatial awareness, and core strength.
Extend the play: Add pretend play themes like “bear cave” or “secret tunnel.”
Have children roll across a soft mat or grassy surface.
What it supports: Vestibular input, sensory integration, and core control.
Tip for calming: Use rolling as a regulation strategy before nap time or transitions.
As you walk, add playful challenges:
“Let’s hop to the next tree.”
“Can you tiptoe on this path?”
“Let’s balance on this log.”
Why it’s enriching: Integrates movement with sensory input, observation, and calm focus.
Movement doesn't need to be confined to “gross motor time.” Integrate it across your day:
Morning welcome routines: Add a movement song or stretch circle
Transitions: Use animal walks to move between activities
Story time: Act out the story using large body movements
Waiting times: Try balance games or “quiet” movement challenges
Outdoor free play: Let children lead with open-ended equipment
Inclusive movement strategies ensure that every child has access to gross motor play:
Offer adaptable materials (e.g., soft balls, low platforms)
Allow rest and regulation breaks
Use visual supports for routines and sequences
Encourage peer support through buddy systems
Celebrate effort over perfection
Gross motor activities are essential. They help children become stronger, more confident, more focused, and more ready to learn. Whether through dancing, crawling, jumping, or marching, preschoolers thrive when we give them room to move and freedom to explore.
By intentionally weaving movement into your learning environment, you’re not just promoting physical health, you’re nurturing the whole child. We hope you enjoy trying out the activities above and see just how much joy and learning movement can bring to your day.
Looking for more ideas? Check out our guides and printables for more resources or share this article with families to inspire playful learning at home!
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