16 Quick Gross Motor Activities For Toddlers To Do At Home

Image: MomJunction Design Team

Many babies can walk with assistance and even stand independently by the 12th month (1). And, gross motor activities for toddlers can further boost their growth and development. In other words, gross motor abilities require the use of large muscles or the entire body.

Indulging children in gross motor exercises is also a fun approach to exercise their muscles and promote growth. Keep reading for some engaging gross motor activities for toddlers.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills are the movements made with the large muscles of arms and legs (2). These skills help a child walk, run, jump, and throw an object. A gross motor activity aims at improving these skills and aids physical development in children.

Benefits Of Gross Motor Activities

Gross motor activities offer numerous benefits for children’s development.

• Physical development: These activities promote muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination.
• Fine motor skills: Strengthening these large muscle groups lays the groundwork for fine motor tasks that require more precision and control.
• Cognitive development: They help enhance attention, problem-solving skills, and spatial awareness.
• Social skills: These activities help foster teamwork, sharing, cooperation, and conflict resolution.
• Emotional well-being: Physical activities help reduce stress and improve mood. They also help improve self-confidence.

16 Best Gross Motor Activities For Toddlers

Several indoor and outdoor activities for toddlers can facilitate gross motor skills development. Jess, a mother and certified parenting coach, shares the fun exercises she tries with her 13-month-old son, Luke. Narrating the activities in her YouTube video, she says, “When it comes to gross motor skills, we try and do something every day. Luke just started walking, so we’re still working on his walking a little bit, but I will either pull out some tunnels or a ball pit or just have him practice walking, or we do some dancing just to get those larger muscle groups moving.

“Another part of our gross motor activities is we try to get a little bit of outside time each day, whether that’s just taking a walk around the backyard or going for a walk around the block. As long as it’s not too cold, we try to squeeze that in every day (i).”

These are some activities that Jess has tried that you may also test for your little one. If you want more such ideas, below are some fun activities for your toddler.

1. Obstacle course

Obstacle courses for toddlers

are elaborate motor skill activities that they can play indoors. These work best for younger toddlers who are still crawling.

You will need:

• A play tunnel
• A few pillows or cushions
• A small play tent
• Colored paper
• Chart paper

How to:

1. Place the pillows one after the other on the floor, to make a path.
2. At the end of the pillows, place a tunnel.
3. Cut out some exciting shapes and silhouettes of animals. Paste them on the chart paper. Place the chart paper on the floor, at the end of the tunnel.
4. Next, place the tent with the baby’s favorite toys in it. Guide the baby through the course if they get confused.

Gross motor skills developed:

Crawling.

2. Leap over the box

Image: IStock

Older toddlers would love walking around practicing their new-found skill – jumping! They can also try climbing on playground equipment, trees, or even furniture (with adult supervision, of course).

You will need:

• Five to six small cardboard boxes, such as shoe boxes
• Paints and brushes

How to:

1. Help the toddler paint the box – that will excite him a little.
2. Next, place the boxes one after the other in a row. More the boxes, the better.
3. Ask the child to reach the toy on the other end of the boxes by leaping over them, without touching them. When you say “Start,” the toddler jumps over the boxes, taking one step at a time to gradually move towards the other end.
4. Once he collects the toy, he turns and goes back again over the boxes to the other end.

Gross motor skills developed:

Standing, walking

3. Pillow throw

Image: Shutterstock

You can play this anytime, although it would be most fun right before bedtime.

You will need:

• Six to seven small pillows
• A laundry basket

How to:

1. Scatter the pillows on the bed: some closer to the end of the bed, while some on the other end.
2. The toddler starts on one end, picks a pillow and throws it into the laundry basket on the floor, close to the bed. The child can crawl or walk, whichever he is comfortable with.
3. The toddler continues to move from one pillow to another until all the pillows are in the laundry basket.
4. It is okay if the toddler misses his aim. Just let the child have some fun!

You can place the basket at a place where it is easiest for him to throw the pillows.

Gross motor skills developed: Crawling, sitting, and throwing

4. Cleaning up the room

Image: Shutterstock

Did you know, cleaning up the room can be an excellent gross and fine motor skill activity for the toddler?

You will need:

• All of the toddler’s toys and other household items
• A laundry basket

How to:

1. Scatter the toddler’s toys on the floor.
2. Let the toddler walk into the room. Walk along with a laundry basket and ask the toddler to pick only soft toys. The toddler picks and drops them in the basket.
3. After soft toys, you can ask him to pick other objects and items. You can place household items like plastic bowls, etc. and ask the toddler to collect them as well.

Gross motor skills developed:

Walking, standing

5. Walking the line

Image: IStock

Let the toddler develop his walking skills with this indoor motor activity.

You will need:

• Colored ribbon
• Cello tape

How to:

1. Use the tape to stick the ribbons on the ground in straight lines that turn 90°, to form several other perpendicular and parallel lines.
2. The toddler has to walk on the lines, with one foot following the other.
3. The game is ideal for groups where you can have toddlers make a train and walk behind one other in a straight line.

Gross motor skills developed:

Body balance while walking

Point to consider

Gross motor skills impact the endurance of toddlers so they can cope with a full day of school in the future. It includes sitting upright at a desk, moving between classes, and carrying a heavy school bag.

6. Bubble through the loop

Image: Shutterstock

Watching soap bubbles is even more fun when you have to guide them through a hula hoop.

You will need:

• Soap bubble maker
• Hula hoop

How to:

1. Let your toddler hold the hula hoop and stand three feet away from you. Stand facing the toddler and make bubbles.
2. The toddler then walks quickly from the opposite direction to get as many bubbles he can through the hula hoop.
3. Your partner or a sibling can count the number of bubbles that went through the hula hoop.

Gross motor skills developed:

Coordination of various muscles of the body, movement-vision coordination

7. Play hopscotch

Image: Shutterstock

It is a classic gross motor activity game for toddlers, enjoyed even today.

You will need:

• Sidewalk/Pavement chalk

How to:

1. Draw a hopscotch grid (squares) of the desired number of boxes on the ground. Label every grid with a letter or number.
2. The toddler stands on the starting point and jumps into a square of his choice. You can also instruct the toddler to jump on a particular number or letter.
3. Labeling the grid with letters and numbers also helps the toddler learn them.

Gross motor skills developed:

Standing, hopping

8. Walk on the bubble wrap

What is more fun than bursting bubble wrap? Stomping them with tiny feet!

You will need:

• Large bubble wrap sheet or multiple bubble wrap sheets

How to:

1. Spread out the bubble wrap on the floor.
2. Ask your toddler to go barefoot and take one step at a time. The bubble popping under his feet can be exciting and encouraging too.
3. Once he has walked enough, he can jump around on the bubble wrap making more bubbles pop.

Gross motor skills developed:

Sensory feeling when moving

9. Pushing the toy

Image: Shutterstock

A push toy like a car or cart is the easiest tool for polishing your toddler’s gross motor skills. It is best suited for younger toddlers who have just learned to stand straight and are taking their first steps.

You will need:

• A push car or a wheeled push toy with a sturdy handle

How to:

1. Stand in front of the toddler as a guide to prompt him forward. Encourage your toddler to move forward using the push toy as support.
2. Your partner can stand behind the toddler to support him, while also coaxing him to move forward.
3. The toddler can also play this game with an older sibling who can walk.

Gross motor skills developed: Balancing the body while walking, Cruising – walking with support

10. Tricycle riding

Most toddlers own a tricycle and love riding them too. Here is an activity that you can try using your toddler’s favorite toy – his tricycle.

You will need:

• Crayons
• Several pieces of cardboard
• Tricycle

How to:

1. Let the toddler scribble his own illustrations and designs on the cardboard sheets.
2. Once done, place them in a lawn or courtyard, leaving adequate space between two cardboard pieces, to make it look like a track.
3. The toddler can pedal through the track, back and forth to the two cardboards. He can also stop in between when playing with a group of toddlers to make the activity more engaging.

Skills developed:

Vision-movement coordination

11. Frisbee catch practice

Image: Shutterstock

A Frisbee is an excellent toy to make your toddler move around a bit. Swinging a frisbee is another activity that helps develop gross motor skills.

You will need:

• Frisbee
• A partner

How to:

1. Go to a park with a lot of soft grass. Make the toddler stand at a distance from you.
2. Throw the Frisbee and prompt the toddler to catch it. Your partner can help the toddler catch the Frisbee if need be.

Gross motor skills developed:

Running, object tracking and movement coordination

Do remember

Children with gross motor difficulties show a general disinterest in physical tasks. They also rush to perform physical tasks to mask their fatigue.

12. Musical chairs

Image: IStock

Musical chairs are not just meant for birthday parties. They can be a great way to exercise a toddler’s motor skills.

You will need:

Several toddler chairs

How to:

1. Place chairs in a straight line, with one alternating the other in direction. So if the first chair faces left, the second chair faces right, and so on.
2. Toddlers run around the chairs in a queue for as long the music plays.
3. When the music stops, a toddler sits on the chair closest to them. The one who does not get a chair gets eliminated. A chair is also removed with each elimination.
4. As the game progresses, there are a few chairs and players left. The one who sits on the last chair wins the game.

Gross motor skills developed:

Listening-movement coordination

13. Toddler ninja

Your toddler uses all his stealth skills to escape the alarm string and reach his objective.

You will need:

• A thick string like a rope
• Several household objects

How to:

1. Tie the string between several objects at varying distances in the room. Connect more objects such that there is a maze of high and low strings running across the entire room.
2. The toddler has to cross or pass the strings without touching them and reach the other end.
3. Wherever the string is high, the toddler will have to crawl under it. Places where the string is low, the toddler will have to step over it.
4. The faster the child reaches the other end, the more the points he gets.

Skills developed:

Multiple gross motor skills like crawling, squatting, walking, and stepping over things.

14. Dance and stop

Dance is always good to exercise the body and is also an excellent way to polish gross motor reflexes.

You will need:

• A group of toddlers
• A partner

How to:

1. Play some music and allow the toddlers to dance any way they like.
2. Keep changing the songs. Every time the music changes, the toddlers need to change their dancing style.
3. Ask a partner to observe the toddlers. The toddler who has a unique dance style wins the game.

15. Roll the ball

Image: Shutterstock

Rolling the ball around the house can be fun for a toddler who just mastered walking.

You will need:

• A large exercise ball

How to:

1. Give the toddler the ball and tell him that he has to push to roll it all across the home.
2. He can push the ball or let it roll on its own.
3. The game ends when he has rolled the ball to every room in the house.

Gross motor skills developed:

Pushing objects while walking

16. Simon says

Playing Simon Says is an excellent way for children to enhance their gross motor skills and encourages them to be fit and active.

You will need:

• A minimum of two children

How to:

1. One player takes on the role of Simon and gives orders to the other players.
2. Players should only follow the command if it starts with the phrase ‘Simon says.’ For example, if Simon says, ‘Simon says jump,’ players must jump.
3. However, if Simon says, ‘Touch your nose,’ without beginning with the phrase ‘Simon says,’ players will not touch their nose.
4. Those who follow the order incorrectly are out of the game. The last player remaining, who correctly follows Simon’s instructions, wins.

Infographic: Gross Motor Skills Importance and Developmental Milestones

Gross motor skills are essential to control the body’s large muscles to allow movement. They are required to walk, jump, run and climb. You will need these skills to keep your body stable when doing things such as sitting at the table and getting dressed. This infographic will teach the importance of gross motor skills and the milestones to look for as your child reaches a certain age.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Quick Gross Motor Activities For Toddlers To Do At Home

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Want to engage your toddlers in fun gross motor activities? This video will show you how!

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Claudia M. GoldMD

Claudia M. Gold is a pediatrician and writer who practiced pediatrics for over 20 years and currently specializes in infant-parent mental health. She is on the faculty of the Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship Program at University of Massachusetts Boston, the Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Berkshire Psychoanalytic Institute.

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Dr. Ritika Shah is a certified lactation counsellor (CLC) from iNational Health Care Academy, Singapore and a dental surgeon with more than seven years of clinical experience across various cities in India. She did her graduation in Dentistry from KM Shah Dental College.

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