Gross motor development is the ability required in order to control the large muscles of the body for walking, running, sitting, crawling , and other activities. It is gaining strength and learning to move arms, legs, and torso.
For toddlers, walking is the biggest milestone. But really the whole period is about learning balance, control and coordination.
There are tons of fun and simple ways to promote gross motor development in your toddler. One of the best ways is through play with toys.
Kids at this age (between 1-3) are curious about everything, which makes it easy to get their attention and engage in exploration, climbing, and learning about how their bodies move in space. Throw in some toys and make it even more fun!
Milestones For Toddlers
Between the ages of 12–18 months, your toddler should:
- Start walking independently
- Attempt to run, or runs with stiff posture
- Squat down to pick something up
- Crawl up stairs and creep back down
- Step on stationary ball when trying to kick the ball
- Seat self on small chair
- Pull a toy behind themselves while walking
- Throw underhand when sitting
Between the ages of 18 months – 2 years, your toddler should:
- Walk up and down the stairs while holding your hand
- Run fairly well
- Jump with feet together, clearing the floor
- Jump down and forwards
- Squat to play
- Stand on tiptoe with support
- Start to use ride-on toys
- Throw a ball into a box
- Kick a ball forwards
Between the ages of 2 – 2 ½ years, your toddler should:
- Stand on tiptoes if shown first
- Jump from bottom step
- Begin to ride a tricycle, moving forward with feet on the floor
- Stand on balance beam with 2 feet and attempt to step forward
- Catch a large ball with arms straight out
Between the ages of 2 ½ – 3 years, your toddler should:
- Stand on 1 foot momentarily
- Walk up the stairs alone with alternating feet
- Downstairs with 2 feet on same step
- Walk on tiptoe
- Start riding a tricycle using the pedals
- Catch a ball with arms bent
- Kick a ball forwards
Help Them Reach Their Milestones
To help your child get the most from her playtime, give her the time, space and resources she needs to be inspired. Here are some of my favorite toys that promote gross motor development.
Core strengthening is essential for the progression of other developmental skills because the core is the center of control for everything else the body does. There are lots of easy ways to strengthen the core through simple play at home
Practicing crawling or walking over pillows is awesome for strength, balance, body awareness, and coordination.
Tunnels
Tunnels offer a child a fun and interactive way to play, plus another great way to work on their core. They can crawl and move through them. Or they can hide in them. Play can get more exciting when you add some throw pillows, rolled blankets and other soft obstacles underneath the tunnel. Little kids love activities such as puzzles or ball/car ramps positioned at one end of the tunnel when they crawl out.
Athletic Gear
Balls, bats, hockey sticks, & pucks are all great toys to bring into their play that encourage use of their arms and legs, and coordination. Now that they are toddlers, they are becoming more aware of what their body can do.
Play back and forth with them, even rolling a ball not only works gross motor skills, but teaches them to take turns – their first lesson in playing games.
When you teach them to throw, show them both overhand and underhand. Start with a stuffed animal, or a softball, and play catch. Make it large enough that they can catch it with minimal effort to boost their egos, and have some fun with this.
Cardboard Blocks
Large cardboard blocks are a great way to get your child stretching and moving. They love to stack these jumbo blocks as high as they can reach. And the giggles when they knock them down! Extremely popular at grandma’s house right now, and anything that is both made of cardboard and can survive my grandson is pretty impressive in my book. You can make your own out of empty shoeboxes. Here is a DIY from @sunnydayfamily.com.
Ride On Toys
When you’re just a toddler, the entire world is an adventure waiting to be explored. Climbing on a toy on wheels promotes adventure in a safe and secure environment you can control. It enables your little one to work on coordination to push forward with their legs and hang on with their arms. It also develops strength in their legs as they move the toy around the room. Even just pushing the toy around the room without riding on it works their big muscles.
Washing Cars
Line up the riding toys, fill up a tub of bubbles, add sunscreen and you have yourself a carwash. This is a great way to get outdoors for fresh air and burning some energy while they work those muscles. Sit back with a glass of sweet tea and watch them play.
More Gross Motor Toys
- Balloon play
- ball
- balance beam
- ribbon dancers
- hoola hoop
Gross Motor Play without Toys
There are tons of other ways to work on gross motors without using toys. Bringing these types of activities into their daily play also encourages gross motor development, as well as turn taking, and listening skills.
- tag (or just chasing them)
- dancing
- Simon says
- red light green light (stop and go)
- acting like animals (jump like a frog)
- go on a nature walk
- explore the zoo
- yoga (tree, frog, mountain, boat, resting)
Helping to Clean Up
Walking and squatting/bending to pick up objects helps little ones learn how to regain their balance when they’re on the move! Simply cleaning up the toys around the room in this way is great for balance and strengthening.
Keep Introducing
Keep in mind that your child’s capabilities will change drastically throughout the year, so their response to activities will be different depending on their age. Things that they couldn’t do at 1 1/2 they will be able to do at 2.
Focus on play, not success. Play is a process, not a result. If they don’t play with the toy the way it was intended, it’s ok as long as it is not a safety issue. When things don’t go the way she wants them to, it gives her the chance to find her own solutions. By using their bodies, children begin to gain an awareness of which body parts are working, left-right orientation and their place in space. Plus play helps to work those skills that we need to encourage them to develop. And more than anything – let them have fun!! ~ Susie Pea
More gross motor ideas are on my Pinterest board Gross Motor Activities for Kids. For information on Toys that Promote Fine Motor Development , go here. To learn how to get toys like these for less, go to my post on My Favorite 2nd Hand Store in St. Louis.
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