Movement Activities: Supporting Your Child’s Growth Through Play

Getting kids moving isn’t just about burning energy – it’s essential for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth. Active play is a great way to regulate mood and decrease irritability for the whole family. Movement is an essential tool to the development of self-regulation skills. Here’s your guide to making movement fun and developmentally beneficial.

Let Them Play Freely

Unstructured, imaginative play is powerful! It helps kids:

• Develop independence
• Take safe risks
• Build problem-solving skills and confidence
• Boost creativity
• Strengthen executive functioning skills

Keep Them Moving, Not Sitting

• Limit screen time
• For babies reduce time in swings and bouncers, providing lots of floor time play and encourage tummy time
• Promote active play for toddlers and older children
• Provide movement breaks to avoid long periods of sitting
• Incorporate movement into learning opportunities when possible

Quick Movement Breaks Work Wonders

Need to reset energy and focus? Try short breaks every 30-45 minutes with:

• Physical play that includes movement such as jumping, running, swinging or upside downplay
• Stretching
• Dancing
• Quick games

These breaks are especially helpful to promote focus during learning opportunities.

Fun Ways to Move:

Incorporate Varied Movement

• Balance and Coordination: Activities like spinning, swinging, rolling, dancing, and walking on uneven surfaces improve balance, coordination, and body awareness.
• Strength and Endurance: Climbing, biking, jumping rope, swimming, and scooter play build strength and endurance.
• Weight-Bearing Play: Include yoga poses, animal walks (like bear crawls, wheel barrel races or crab walks) to daily routine to strengthen muscles and provide heavy work to calm the nervous system.

Interactive Play Ideas

• Games for Focus and Self-Control: Games like Simon Says, Red Light, Green Light, and Freeze Dance improve focus, impulse control, and social skills.
• Pretend Play: Role-playing activities such as running a pretend store or restaurant build creativity and foster independence.
• Eye-Hand Coordination: Activities like tossing a ball, flying a kite, or other catching games improve visual and motor skills.

When You’re Stuck Inside

Try these indoor movement activities:

• Dance parties: Crank up some music for a dance party or freeze dance session, encouraging movement and creativity.
• Kid yoga: Introduce simple poses to promote flexibility, balance, and calmness.
• Crawl through tunnels: Set up tunnels for crawling, which stimulates proprioceptive development. Buy a tunnel or use blankets and chairs to create your own.
• Build blanket forts: Create cozy spaces for imaginative play or reading.
• Obstacle courses: Use furniture and cushions to create an indoor obstacle course that enhances balance and coordination.
• Pillow crashing: Pile up pillows and let your child jump in for a fun sensory experience.
• Indoor playgrounds: Visit indoor playgrounds or water parks for active play on days when outdoor activity isn’t possible.

Active Families, Happy Kids

Movement benefits the whole family – strengthening bonds while building healthy habits. Here are ways to get moving together:

Outdoor Adventures:

• Park visits with playground time
• Nature hikes and trail walks playing “I spy”
• Camping trips and outdoor exploration
• Flying kites together
• Playing catch or soccer
• Family tag or hide-and-seek
• Splash pad or Water Park
• Playing in water in kiddie pool, at the beach or lake
• Playing fetch or taking dog for a walk

Daily Movement Moments:

• After-dinner walks
• Weekend bike rides
• Dancing while doing chores
• Yard games and gardening
• Swimming or beach play
• Active video games on rainy days

When parents model an active lifestyle, children are more likely to develop lifelong healthy habits. The key is making movement fun and natural part of each day!

Remember: Every child moves at their own pace and have their own movement needs.

Want to learn more? Check out my blogs Moving to Grow: Why Movement and Play Matter for Your Child’s Development and The Power of Outdoor Play: Why Nature Time Matters!

Also check out, Balanced and Barefoot” by Angela J. Hanscom for great insights on movement and outdoor play.