Gross motor skills involve the coordination of larger muscle groups for activities like running, riding a bike, and throwing a ball. These muscles are essential for everyday tasks, such as getting dressed, climbing in and out of a car or bed, and sitting up straight while writing or cutting. Strong core and abdominal muscles also help a child navigate sloped hills and carry heavy items.
Children with low muscle control may avoid physical tasks, and weak gross motor skills can negatively affect fine motor skills as well. The great news is there are many fun activities to build gross motor strength. Whether adding movement to playtime, entertaining on rainy days, or following weekly activities in the 1-5 Year Preschool Curricula, these activities will enhance balance, coordination, and overall physical development. Explore the ideas on this page to support your child's growth!
You'll discover on this page fun activities:
Running helps build leg strength, coordination, and cardiovascular health, allowing children to develop speed, agility, and endurance as they explore their environment. To begin, head outside—kids naturally love to run! Be sure to set clear boundaries to keep the child safe, but give the child to space to try new things.
Climbing and crawling improve overall body strength, coordination, and balance by engaging both upper and lower body muscles. These activities also promote spatial awareness and flexibility.
Crawl through tunnels, under chairs and tables, or over cushions and pillows. The uneven surfaces build muscle strength.
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Hopping strengthens leg muscles, enhances balance, and builds coordination. It also helps children develop their ability to control movements and improve their foot-eye coordination.
Using painter's tape, create 10 lines on the floor or lay 10 pool noodles about 2 feet apart to form ladder rungs. Label the top line "10," the next line "9," and continue down to "1" at the bottom. Starting at the "1" line, have the child jump with both feet together over each rung, saying the numbers aloud as they jump. Encourage them to work hard to stay balanced and avoid falling.
Help the child learn the order of Creation with a fun Creation Hopscotch game! Draw a hopscotch board on the ground or sidewalk, with each block representing a day of Creation. In each square, draw a simple image representing what God created on that day (e.g., light, sky, land, etc.).
Directions for hopscotch:
1. Toss a small object, such as a rock or bean bag, onto one of the numbered squares.
2. Jump through the squares. On single squares, hop on one foot; on side-by-side squares, use both feet (one foot in each square). If the child is not developmentally ready for hopping on one foot, jump with two feet together.
3. When you reach the end, turn around and hop back, picking up the object on your way.
4. Recite the order of Creation as you hop through the squares.
Jumping supports muscle development in the legs and core, improves balance, and encourages coordination. It also boosts cardiovascular fitness and helps children practice timing and control.
o Jump with two feet
• Jump up as many times in a row as possible
• Jump forward as many times as possible
• Jump as far as possible
• Run and jump
o Jump with 1 foot
• Forwards than backwards
o Jump sideways
Play "Put the Fire Out," a fun outside activity that involves sidewalk chalk, water, and a sponge. Begin by drawing a ladder on cement with sidewalk chalk. Draw a fire at the top of the ladder. Place a bucket and a sponge at the bottom of the ladder. Have the child wet the sponge and jump between the rungs of the ladder to get to the fire. Once at the fire, squeeze the sponge over the fire to put it out! My children loved this game!
Pushing and pulling activities engage both upper and lower body muscles, enhancing strength, coordination, and endurance while helping children understand force and resistance. Children love to push and pull grocery carts, wagons, or other wheeled items, which work their gross motor muscles. You can also tie a string or belt to a laundry basket for the child to pull around.
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Throwing and catching develop hand-eye coordination, arm strength, and fine-tune motor skills. These activities help preschoolers focus on aiming and timing while improving reaction speed.
o Sitting to standing
o Large ball to smaller ball
o Light ball to heavier ball
o Overhand throw to underhand throw
o Two hand catch to one hand catch
Batting strengthens hand-eye coordination and upper body muscles. This activity also teaches timing and focus as children practice hitting a moving target. Begin with a thick bat and slowly decrease in size. For example, bat at a balloon with a tennis or racquetball racket. Choking Hazard: Be very cautious with broken balloon pieces.
Walking and balance activities, like walking on a balance beam or uneven surfaces, develop core stability, improve posture, and enhance coordination. These skills are essential for everyday physical tasks.
While playing outside, I continually remind my children to stay on their feet instead of falling to their knees. This requires them to keep balance (use gross motor skills) in fun play.
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Marching and dancing encourage rhythmic movement, coordination, and balance. They also boost cardiovascular health while allowing children to express creativity through movement.
Biking and scooter activities help children develop leg strength, balance, and coordination, while also teaching them to control speed and direction, improving motor planning skills. Whether riding a tricycle, pedal car, or other outdoor toys, these activities build gross and core muscles. And don’t forget the helmet!
One of the frequent gross motor activities included in the ABCJesusLovesMe Curriculum is the "Memory Obstacle Course." This obstacle-course-with-a-twist that we learned in Occupational Therapy was frequently requested by our children when they were young. They had so much fun doing it that they didn't realize they were getting exercise and learning. An added plus is that this activity can be done with more than one child at a time.
Typically, children draw while sitting at a table. However, drawing or writing away from a table can develop fine and gross motor skills more effectively, helping prepare children for tasks like handwriting. Holding a writing utensil or brush vertically strengthens wrist and hand muscles, while standing engages core muscles that aren’t used when working on a horizontal surface. Examples include drawing while lying on the tummy, drawing on your back with paper taped under a table, or drawing on a vertical surface.
