DIY baby and toddler group ideas – get moving!

We’ve been sharing ideas for DIY baby and toddler groups, to use while your usual ones are closed for the summer. This week it's all about getting moving. From an obstacle course at home to games at the park, we’ve got ideas to keep you both moving this summer. 

Often you don’t need to have a set time for moving, just make sure your child has enough space to wriggle, walk, run and jump safely.  

If you want to do something a bit different, start by finding a space you can use for some movement. You could invite some friends from your usual group, or people who have slightly older children – your child might like copying them as they move around.  

Remember young children are still learning to control their movements and balance, so find somewhere with nothing that will break or hurt them if they bump into, or fall onto, it. This might mean the best place to get moving is a park, open space or play centre rather than at home.  

Start slowly 

Think about something to start your moving time, this could be a simple game like the one below. 

Stop, go 

What you need 

• A safe space to move around together 

What to do 

• Tell your child you’re both going to walk around until you say, “Stop,” then you’ll both stand still until you say, “Go!” 
• Walk around the space together, then say, “Stop,” and stand still, give your child a moment to stop (they probably won’t do it straight away until they’ve tried it a few times). 
• Then say, “Go,” and walk around again.  
• Keep going for as long as your child is interested (or until you’re ready to stop!)  
• Once you’ve played a couple of times your child or children could take turns to say, “Stop” and “Go.” 

You could change how you move around, perhaps try running or jumping – really whatever your child will enjoy.  

Get moving and master some skills 

Start by looking at your child’s activities in the app. Find some ideas linked to the skills they’re working on now.  

You’ll find lots of ideas for movement in the gross motor stream, as well as some in the other streams, so you could pick a couple of these to be the main part of your DIY movement group.  

New places for Tummy time 

For babies tummy time is an important physical activity, it’s included on the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines.^[1]

What to do

• Take a blanket and go to your local park, library or even a friend's house.  
• Check the floor for sharp objects and place the blanket down.  
• Lie your baby down and let them take in their new surroundings. 

If they’re still not sure about tummy time, you could roll them from their back onto their tummy, or place them in a carrier and go for a walk somewhere new.  

Once your baby is on the move, make a simple obstacle course – adapt the ideas below according to your child or children’s skills.  

Obstacle course 

What you need 

Items for your child to crawl on, climb over or under – make sure anything you use is suitable for your child’s skills and anything they climb on must be stable for them to climb up.  

We’ve suggested some items but choose based on your knowledge of what your child can do safely. 

• A blanket 
• A large box 
• Cushions 
• A step 
• A chair 

What to do 

• Place the items in a line. 
• Encourage your child to climb over, under or crawl through each thing in turn.  
• If you have older and younger children playing together, either set up two courses with a different set of items for each or encourage them to use the items in different ways (for example your baby crawling under a chair, while your toddler climbs over the seat). 
• Let your child experiment with how they move, and offer support when they ask for it. Your toddler might hold your hand and step onto the step then off again, and older child might jump off.  

If you have a local park, you might not need to use items to make your obstacle course. You can simply try out some simple challenges using park equipment. For example, challenging your child to climb around the climbing frame without putting their feet on the floor.  

Throwing and catching (or collecting)  

What you need 

• Something for your child to throw, such as a ball, frisbee or even a roller up pair of socks  

What to do 

Choose how to play according to your child’s skills.  

• Roll the ball to your child, and encourage them to push it back to you. 
• Throw the ball or frisbee and go and pick it up together, you could walk, run or crawl to pick it up.  
• Stand opposite your child and throw the ball or frisbee to them, encourage them to catch it and then throw it back to you.  
• Choose a target and encourage your child to throw so the ball or frisbee lands or bounces on the target. The target could be box, a tree or a chalk circle drawn on the ground. 

If you’re playing with children of mixed ages, adapt the games to include all the children. For example, an older child could throw the ball for a younger child to collect.  

A toddler might be reluctant to give the ball back once they’ve collected it. If this might happen for you use something you have lots of, like pairs of rolled up socks. An older child could throw as many as they can in a minute for a younger child to collect. Then count how many your younger child has picked up.  

Cool down time 

Your child might find running, throwing and climbing exciting and need a bit of help to calm down when it’s time to finish.  

End your get moving group by doing some simple stretches together, counting your breaths in and out, sitting together to have a drink or lying down and watching the clouds. 

If you want to catch up on the ideas we’ve shared for other DIY groups click on the links below: 

Sensory group 

Story session 

Music and Dance  

Don't forget to check your Today screen next week to get ideas for rhymes and songs to enjoy at home!  

Reference 

[1] Department of Health and Social Care (2019, 7 September). Physical activity guidelines: early years (under 5s). Physical activity guidelines: early years (under 5s) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)