How to support your toddler’s physical development at home

Are you a parent with a little one at home looking at ways to support their development? I’ve put together this post to provide you with knowledge and ideas to support and guide your toddler’s physical development at home.

Physical development is crucial within the early years and is one of the three prime areas of learning and development with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. This is followed by all OFSTED registered early years providers in all settings. This includes nurseries, childminders and the reception year at primary school. If your child currently attends a setting, rest assured that their physical development will be planned for and supported. Even if your child does attend a setting, you may want to extend and encourage their development at home, too.

physical development

As my little one ( 2 years, 9 months) does not currently attend a setting, it’s important to me to try and incorporate lots of activities and opportunities to support her physical development at home.

As a qualified primary school teacher and current stay at home mum of two, I am eager to share my knowledge and ideas to support your littles ones development at home. I’m here to show you that it is simple and easy to support your child’s physical development at home and to highlight the importance of doing so.

What is physical development?

It’s important to clarify the difference between physical development and growth when providing a definition.

Growth is the progressive increase of the size of the child (or parts of the child). 

Development is the progression towards maturity and the progressive increase of various skills and abilities. 

Providing a range of enjoyable daily opportunities for children to move freely from birth onwards plays a vital role in supporting their smooth growth and overall development.

physical development

Activities to try at home

Simon Says – This can really be adapted for any time of movement you’d like to incorporate. Some suggestions could be jumping, hopping, skipping, running, rolling or crawling.

Obstacle Courses – Include things such: as hoops to jump in and out of, masking tape or chalk to follow lines on the floor, cushions to jump over, cones to weave in and out of or bean bags to throw into a hoop or basket. Time your child to add extra challenge.

Ball Games – Simple throwing and catching games work well at this age, increase the distance between you to make it more challenging. Can they bounce the ball to you? Create a makeshift goal and encourage them to kick the ball. Grab a hoop or laundry basket to throw a ball into. Beanbags are also great for this type of play, and tend to be easier to manage and catch for younger children.

Dancing – You can use props such as scarves and ribbons, if you have them available. Dance and freeze games are popular with this age group, can your child freeze when the music stops? Also good for developing listening skills, too!

Balloon Play – Practise throwing and catching with a balloon, can they stop the balloon from touching the floor?

Movement games – Ask your child to walk or run around and call out different commands. Can they jump, hop, crawl or skip? This can be adapted for lots of different topics, for example animals. Can they stomp like an elephant, swing like a monkey, slither like a snake, jump like a frog? Another favourite is the bean game – shout out commands such as runner bean ( the child runs), jumping bean (child jumps), jelly bean (wriggle like wobbly jelly) etc.

physical development

Recommended resources

There are a wide range of toys and resources available to support physical development. I have included ideas for both indoor and outdoor use, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.

  • Ride on bikes
  • Slides
  • Climbing triangle
  • Scarves
  • Beanbags
  • Hoops
  • Cones
  • Push / pull toys
  • Soft oversized balls
  • Tricycles
  • Balance bikes
  • Stepping stones
  • Play tunnel
  • Balloons
  • Egg and spoon

Of course, physical development shouldn’t be restricted to the home or garden. Local playgrounds can offer plenty of physical development opportunities, as can soft play or even a walk through the woods. Swimming is also a great way to incorporate movement. Try to include as much regular exercise as possible, not only is it crucial for physical development but you may well be able to get them to bed much easier, too!

physical development

If you are interested in learning more about physical development within the early years, I would recommend the free Open University course ‘Supporting Physical Development in Early Childhood’.https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/supporting-physical-development-early-childhood/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab This course talks you through physical milestones according to age, as well as ways physical development can be supported for children aged 0-5.

Let me know which activities your child likes best!

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