Montessori

Gross motor and movement

Big-body play that builds strength, balance and the confidence to move in new ways.

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Compare the age ranges and time, then open a card for materials and instructions.

Age range: Up to 2 years · 10 min

Spread a firm blanket on the floor and lay your baby on their back with nothing strapped around them. Sit nearby and let them kick, stretch, and turn their head wherever they want.

Age range: Under 6 months · 5 min

Lay your baby on their tummy on a firm blanket and stand an open black-and-white board book upright in front of them. Lie down facing them and talk about the page while they work at lifting their head.

Age range: 6 months–3 years · 10 min

Space a few favorite toys along the sofa seat so your baby can pull up and side-step from one to the next. Stay beside them and cheer every wobbly shuffle along the cushions.

Age range: 1–3 years · 5 min

Sit your toddler on a large exercise ball and hold them firmly at the hips. Bounce slowly up and down to a song, then roll the ball a little forward and back. Stop and wait for them to ask for more.

Age range: 1–6 years · 10 min

Lay pillows in a short path and invite your child to step, crawl, or balance across them.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Blow a stream of bubbles low to the ground and cheer your toddler on as they toddle, reach, and stomp to pop them.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Roll a few big, light balls down a gentle slope and cheer your toddler on as they toddle after them. Collect them at the bottom and send them off again.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Pile sofa cushions on the floor to make a soft hill. Let children climb over, slide off and crawl back around, taking turns on the biggest cushion.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Sit beside a low step at the front door or on the patio and let your toddler practice stepping up and down, holding your hand or the rail. Count each step as you go.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Open both ends of a large cardboard box or join two together to make a tunnel on the floor. Crawl in alongside your toddler, then peek out the far end and say boo. Let them lead the way back through.

Age range: 1–4 years · 20 min

Fill a laundry basket or empty wading pool with soft balls. Let your toddler sit, climb, toss and scoop the balls. Hide a toy at the bottom and dig it out together.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Rake a loose pile of dry leaves and walk through it together, kicking, scooping, and listening to the crunch.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Weigh a laundry basket down with a few heavy books and set it on the floor in front of your toddler. Let them push it across the room, adding or removing books until it slides just right.

Age range: 1–4 years · 15 min

Hand your toddler a push toy such as a toy vacuum, a toy mower or a ball-popper push toy, and walk a loop through the room with them. Park it by the door and start again.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Find a low, grassy slope and walk up and down it with your toddler, holding a hand if they want one. Try stepping slowly, then a little faster, and count the steps to the top.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Draw a long, wiggly line of chalk along the sidewalk and walk it beside your toddler, one foot after the other. Make the line straight, then curvy, then add a few dots to stop at.

Age range: 1–4 years · 15 min

Tie a short length of ribbon to a small sturdy box and put a soft toy inside. Show your toddler how to hold the ribbon and walk, with the box rolling behind. Add a second box for a longer train.

Age range: 1–4 years · 20 min

Load a small wagon or sturdy box on wheels with a few teddies or blocks. Let your toddler pull it with you around the room or yard and stop to unload at each stop.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Sit your toddler on a low rocking horse or rocker and show them how to hold the handles. Rock them gently while you sing, then let them rock on their own and stop when the song stops.

Age range: 1–4 years · 20 min

Set a gentle sprinkler on the lawn on a warm day and let your toddler run, dance, and stand in the spray. Join in and take turns choosing when to start and stop.

Age range: 1–4 years · 15 min

Put a low ride-on toy on a smooth, clear floor. Show your toddler how to sit, hold the handle, and push with both feet, and walk next to them as they travel from one room to the next.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Find a path of large, flat stepping stones or pavers and walk them together, one step to a stone. Say each step out loud and cheer when you reach the end.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Walk across the room so softly your feet make no sound, whispering \"quiet, quiet\", then turn and stomp back as loudly as you can. Hold your toddler's hands for the quiet part, listen together for the difference, and let them choose quiet or loud next.

Age range: 1–4 years · 20 min

Hold a hand each, or use a stroller for the younger child, and walk to a landmark such as a mailbox or tree. Point out what you pass and stop when the children want to look.

Age range: 1–4 years · 15 min

Take your toddler and a friend to a soft, fenced patch of grass and start a slow, giggly chase. Let each child run their own way — no rules, no turns, just happy movement.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Put a large, light ball on the floor or grass. Show your toddler how to walk up to it and give it a kick, then fetch it together and set it up again. Try kicking it toward a laundry basket or a tree.

Age range: 1–4 years · 15 min

Stand a short way from your child in an open space and toss a big soft ball. Let them throw it back, aim for a bucket, or chase it, and step back as they get the hang of it.

Age range: 2–4 years · 15 min

Lay sofa cushions and pillows across the floor as stepping stones, then hold hands and hop or crawl from one to the next together.

Age range: 2–4 years · 10 min

Pile two or three sofa cushions on a rug, away from furniture. Hold your toddler's hand while they jump from the floor onto the cushions, or step off a low cushion, and count the jumps. Step back so they can try alone.

Age range: 2–5 years · 20 min

After the rain, pull on boots and follow your child from puddle to puddle for some happy, splashy jumping.

Age range: 2–4 years · 10 min

Play a favorite song and dance together, then pause the music and freeze in a silly pose. Count to three, then start again. Take turns choosing who controls the music.

Age range: 3–6 years · 20 min

Find a gentle grassy slope and take turns rolling down it together, laughing all the way to the bottom.

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