Sensory play is a great way to help your toddler develop gross motor skills. It’s also a fun way for you and your little one to connect. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are ten ways to incorporate sensory play into your day:
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Sensory play can enhance the development of gross motor skills in children. |
| Sensory toys can provide opportunities for children to engage in physical activity while stimulating their senses. |
| Parents can choose from a variety of sensory toys to support their child’s gross motor skill development. |
| Sensory play can also have other benefits for children, including improving communication, managing anxiety and stress, and supporting mental health. |
Ball Play
Ball play is a great way to develop gross motor skills. It can be used to improve balance and coordination, strength and flexibility.
To begin, you’ll want to choose a ball that is the right size for your child. If they are still learning how to roll over, then it’s best to start with a small ball that won’t get away from them if they roll over on it. As they grow older you can move on to bigger balls like basketballs or volleyballs.
When it comes to choosing sensory toys for your toddler, it’s important to consider their age and developmental stage. Our beginner’s guide to sensory toys for toddlers can help you select the right toys to enhance their gross motor skills development.”
Obstacle Course
You can also create an obstacle course with your child. Using cones or other objects, create a path and have them run through it. If you’d like to make it more difficult, have them jump over things or crawl under obstacles.
To make this activity even more challenging for kids who are already familiar with these skills, try having them walk around the cones instead of going through them!
Examples of Sensory Play Activities for Gross Motor Skill Development
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Ball pit | A ball pit provides an opportunity for children to practice jumping, climbing, and crawling while engaging with sensory materials. |
| Obstacle course | Setting up an obstacle course with pillows, tunnels, and other items can encourage children to develop their coordination and balance. |
| Balance board | Using a balance board can help children improve their balance and coordination while engaging with tactile materials. |
| Scooter board | Children can use a scooter board to practice pushing and pulling while also engaging with sensory materials. |
| Hopscotch | Playing hopscotch can help children develop their jumping and hopping skills while engaging with visual and tactile sensory materials. |
Dancing
Dancing is a great way to get kids moving! Whether you’re indoors or out, dancing can be done with music or without it. It can be done with a partner or alone, in groups or individually. The possibilities are endless!
Rolling Balls
Rolling balls is a great way to help kids develop gross motor skills. The balls can be any size, hard or soft, and big or small.
You can either have them roll the ball themselves, or you can roll it for them. For younger children who may not know how to roll the ball yet, you might want to show them how by doing it yourself first (unless they’re more coordinated than you are!).
Then let them try it on their own while you watch closely until they get comfortable with rolling the ball on their own.
Introducing sensory play to your toddler can have a positive impact on their development. Our article on sensory play and how toys can help provides an overview of how sensory play works and the benefits it can have on their gross motor skills.”
Balancing Stuff On Your Head
Balancing stuff on your head is a great way to develop gross motor skills. You can play this game almost anywhere, but it’s even better if you have a large open space like a gymnasium or playground where the kids can run around freely and not hit anything with their balancing props.
Safety precautions: This game requires some safety precautions so that the kids won’t get hurt while they’re having fun building their balance skills!
Make sure they are wearing closed-toe shoes, only use light objects such as plastic cups or bean bags, and make sure there are no sharp objects lying around (for instance, don’t let them balance on forks). If you’re playing outside then keep an eye out for bugs and bees too you don’t want anyone getting stung in the face mid-laugh!
There are two main ways to play this game: Balance Stuff On Your Head With One Hand (for younger children), or Balance Stuff On Your Head With Two Hands (for older children).
In both cases, start by telling everyone how many points each item is worth based on how easy/difficult it is for them to balance on their own body part without falling over (so if someone falls down after holding something for 10 seconds then give her 5 points). Then get going—it’s time for some fun!
Balloon Bop
To play Balloon Bop, you’ll need a lot of balloons and a lot of room. The more balloons you have, the more players can participate. You’ll also want to designate an area that’s relatively free of obstacles so that players don’t accidentally bump into things while they’re running around the room.
You don’t need any special equipment or skills to play—all you need are enough balloons and enough space in which to run around! If you have access to a large gymnasium-like room, this game can be fun for entire classrooms at once. Otherwise, it could just as easily be played in smaller spaces such as homes or apartments (as long as adults are supervising).
The goal of Balloon Bop is for each player/team to collect all their colored balloons before time runs out by touching them with their feet when they’re flying across the room from one side toward another during “bops” (when everyone runs toward each other).
Points are awarded based on color: yellow is worth 1 point; green is worth 5 points; red is worth 10 points; purple is worth 15 points; blue is worth 20 points; orange & pink are worth 25 points each; black & white aren’t worth anything but they do count toward total score if collected along with other colors too!
With so many options available, selecting the right sensory toys for your toddler can be overwhelming. Our guide on how to choose the right sensory toys for toddlers provides helpful tips and recommendations to ensure your child’s gross motor skills development is supported.
Tossing and Catching
Tossing and catching is an excellent way to encourage gross motor development in children. The game itself is simple:
- Toss a ball back and forth with your child.
- If you drop the ball, laugh it off! You’re still having fun together.
If you want to help improve your child’s catching skills, try playing catch with several balls at once this will require them to pay attention and make sure they don’t drop any of them!
You can also try tossing the ball up in the air at varying heights so that they have to adjust their hands as they catch it. This little bit of extra difficulty will help develop hand-eye coordination skills in young children.
Hula Hoops
Hula Hoops are a great way to improve your gross motor skills. You can use Hula Hoops in many different ways:
- As a game, where you challenge yourself and others to see who can keep their Hula Hoop going the longest.
- As fun movement, where you just enjoy moving around with the Hula Hoop and playing with it as you go.
Stretching
Stretching is a form of physical exercise that improves flexibility and posture, which can in turn improve your circulation and reduce soreness.
Stretching also helps you relax, reduces stress and tension, increases your body awareness, and even makes it easier for you to fall asleep at night. In addition to all these benefits, stretching is fun!
You can stretch with friends or family members as a way to connect with each other while getting the physical benefits of increased flexibility.
Pillow Jumping
Pillow jumping is a great way to build up strength in your legs. It’s simple, fun and easy to do!
What you need: A pillow, some space to jump around and a friend or family member who can catch you when you fall over.
How to do it: Jump onto the bed with both feet together. Try not to let your knees or toes touch the ground as this will slow down your movement and make it harder for you when trying to get up again.
When ready, stand back up by pushing against the bed with both feet as quickly as possible so that only one foot touches before jumping again. You should aim for between 15-20 jumps per minute; if this gets too easy then try adding time intervals between sets of jumps (for example 10 seconds).
This will teach your body how better balance itself while jumping so that eventually no pause is needed between each set of jumps .
Sensory play has been shown to have a positive impact on children’s development in a variety of ways. Our article on the importance of sensory play for kids explores the benefits of sensory play and how it can support gross motor skill development.
Snowman Bowling
Choose a large area to play in, such as a field or backyard. This will allow you and your child to make a snowman together, and allow for the ball to roll all the way through the course. If you don’t have access to an open area, use whatever space you have available!
Collect snowballs (or use balls of paper covered in plastic wrap if it’s too cold outside). You can make these ahead of time or gather them while you’re doing other activities with your child during the winter months.
Once everything is set up, take turns rolling a ball down a lane towards your snowman while he tries to knock it down with his carrot nose! Record how far the ball goes using some sort of measuring tape or ruler so that you can see who had better aim each time!
Freeze Tag and Red Light, Green Light
There are a few games that are great for gross motor skills. One of them is freeze tag.
How to play:
- The group stands in a circle with one person (the “it”) in the middle.
- When the music starts playing, everyone runs around and tries to touch each other without being tagged by “it”. When someone is tagged, they become it!
This game works on many things: agility, balance, teamwork and focus. It can also be adapted to suit different ages groups by adding or taking away rules such as not running when you are ‘chased’ by another player or touching other players with your hands etc.
Finding the right sensory toys for infants and toddlers can be challenging. Our list of the best sensory toys for infants and toddlers provides a range of options to choose from to support your child’s gross motor skill development.
Conclusion
The message of this article is that gross motor skills are important for children to learn, and sensory play can be a great way to help children develop these skills. We hope you enjoyed learning more about this topic!
Recommended Sensory Toys for Gross Motor Skill Development
| Toy | Description |
|---|---|
| Bouncy balls | Bouncy balls can provide a fun way for children to practice throwing, catching, and kicking while also stimulating their sense of touch. |
| Foam blocks | Foam blocks can be used for building and knocking down towers, promoting gross motor skills and spatial awareness while engaging with tactile materials. |
| Parachute | A parachute can be used for group play and can help children develop their coordination and communication skills while also stimulating their sense of touch. |
| Tunnel | Crawling through a tunnel can help children develop their coordination and spatial awareness while also engaging with visual and tactile sensory materials. |
| Trampoline | A trampoline can provide a fun way for children to practice jumping and bouncing while also engaging with their sense of touch. |
Further Reading
How Sensory Play Benefits Motor Development: This article discusses the benefits of sensory play on motor development, including gross motor skills.
8 Gross Motor Skills Activities for Kids: This article provides eight gross motor skill activities for kids, including those with developmental differences.
Gross Motor Sensory Play: This blog post provides ideas for gross motor sensory play activities for children.
FAQs
What is sensory play?
Sensory play involves activities that stimulate a child’s senses, such as touch, sound, smell, and sight. These activities can be simple, such as playing with textured materials, or more complex, such as creating sensory bins.
How does sensory play benefit gross motor skills development?
Sensory play can help develop gross motor skills by encouraging children to move their bodies in different ways while engaging with sensory materials. For example, playing with a ball pit can help children develop their balance and coordination.
What are some examples of gross motor skills?
Gross motor skills involve large movements of the body, such as crawling, walking, jumping, and throwing. They are important for overall physical development and can help children engage in activities and sports.
How can parents encourage gross motor skills development?
Parents can encourage gross motor skills development by providing opportunities for children to engage in physical activities, such as playing outside or participating in sports. Sensory play activities can also be helpful in promoting gross motor skill development.
What are some signs that a child may have gross motor skill delays?
Some signs that a child may have gross motor skill delays include difficulty crawling or walking, avoiding physical activities, and preferring sedentary activities.
If parents are concerned about their child’s gross motor skills, they should consult with their pediatrician or a developmental specialist.
Meet Hellen James, the multi-talented writer and nurturing mother who takes young readers on a thrilling journey through her sensory-infused blog. Drawing inspiration from her own experiences as a parent.
