Top 16 Gross Motor Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Developing gross motor skills is essential for young children’s physical growth, coordination, and overall well-being. This collection of activities is designed to get toddlers and preschoolers moving, jumping, balancing, and exploring their physical capabilities.

These activities are perfect for both indoor and outdoor settings, ensuring that children have ample opportunities to play and grow, regardless of their environment. Not only do these activities promote physical development, but they also offer opportunities for fun, social interaction, and cognitive growth.

Let’s clear some space, and prepare for a lively session of hopping, running, and laughing.

Contents show

1. Kick the Cup

This activity involves kicking a soccer ball to knock down cups arranged in a pattern. It’s a fun and engaging experiment that promotes hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and strategic thinking.

Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids

2. Whole Body Hopscotch

This activity involves a modified version of the classic hopscotch game where players use their whole body to hop through the numbered squares instead of just using their feet. It’s a dynamic and interactive experiment that promotes balance, coordination, and gross motor skills development.

Learn more: Little Learning Club

3. Balloon Volleyball

This activity involves playing volleyball with balloons instead of traditional volleyballs, requiring players to use their hands or other body parts to keep the balloon from touching the ground on their side of the net.

Learn more: Backyard Camp

4. Jumping Over the Lines Activity

This activity involves jumping over lines or obstacles arranged on the ground in various patterns or configurations. It’s a dynamic and versatile exercise that promotes agility, coordination, and cardiovascular fitness.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands

5. Indoor Obstacle Course Ideas

Indoor obstacle courses are a fantastic way to promote physical activity and creativity, especially in limited space. You can design courses using everyday household items such as chairs, pillows, cushions, and blankets to create tunnels to crawl through or obstacles to jump over.

Learn more: How to run a home day care

6. The Floor Is Lava

“The Floor Is Lava” is a popular indoor game where participants imagine that the floor is made of lava and must navigate through a room without touching the ground.

Learn more: Hands on As We Grow

7. Musical Color Hunt

Musical Color Hunt is a vibrant and interactive game that combines music and color recognition. Participants listen to music while searching for specific colors hidden around a designated area. When the music stops, players must quickly locate and identify the color closest to them.

Learn more: Days with Grey

8. Easy DIY Bowling Game Craft

An easy DIY bowling game craft can be created using recycled materials found around the house. Start by collecting empty plastic bottles, such as water bottles or soda bottles. Fill them with a small amount of rice, sand, or water to add weight to the bottom and stabilize them.

Learn more: Everyday Dishes

9. Hula Hoop Activity

This activity involves jumping on hula hoops, challenging students’ coordination and agility. It fosters physical exercise and enhances spatial awareness.

Learn more: Learn, Play, Imagine

10. Hop, Skip and Jump with Paper Plates

Hop, Skip, and Jump with Paper Plates is an engaging activity that encourages students to use paper plates as makeshift platforms for hopping, skipping, and jumping.

Learn more: Hands on as we grow

11. Bilateral Coordination

Bilateral coordination using handprints involves activities where students use both hands simultaneously to create handprint art or perform tasks such as clapping, tapping, or cutting.

Learn more: Mr. Mintz

12. Ghost Long Jump

Ghost Long Jump with paper footprints is a counting game where students jump from one paper footprint to another, pretending to be ghosts. This activity not only promotes physical movement and cardiovascular health but also enhances counting skills and coordination.

Learn more: Toddler Approved

13. Teaching Children to Jump

By incorporating the hula hoop as a target for jumping, teachers can provide a visual cue for children to aim towards, enhancing their spatial awareness and accuracy.

Learn more: Blog Dinopt

14. Color Hop

By incorporating different colored spots on the floor, teachers provide a visual guide for children to follow, encouraging them to jump from one color to another. This game can be adapted to various themes and learning objectives, making it versatile for classroom use.

Learn more: Learn Play Imagine

15. Sticky Spider Web Activity

The Sticky Spider Web Activity utilizes duct tape to create a spider web-like structure in which participants throw lightweight objects to stick onto the tape.