Today Tile Triggered Content

Busy Day: Athlete by Dan Green 

Ball games can provide hours of entertainment for young children, and as their skills in throwing improve, they’ll become open to a wider range of ball-led activities. When you child throws it requires object-control skills, which means throwing, catching and striking.^[1] So for them, it means being able to hold onto a ball and throw it. This skill forms the basis for other object control skills, like holding a bat or racquet. 

Over and underarm throwing require some of the same skills, although they are very different throws. 

It may not seem like that long ago when your child was taking their first steps, and seeing their face light up with an enormous sense of achievement made your heart melt. Now they are moving in all kinds of ways and finding pleasure in experimenting and challenging themselves wherever they seem to go! And when they come across a slope or hill, well, their movement options really open up! 

Many children find the possibility of slopes exciting! They can be challenging, but also a fun and rewarding activity, here’s why... 

As parents we often have to think through the complicated dance between what is best (easiest, most comfortable and realistic) right now, and what might be best in the long run for your toddler’s development, independence and confidence. It’s not easy, and there’s no one answer which will work every time, but what we want you to know is that you’re doing an amazing job just by being realistic about when you can, and can’t, let your toddler take the lead. 

You know that your toddler needs lots of chances to try, and fail, at new skills before they really get to grips with them and become able to do something independently. Sometimes, however, you simply find it is easier and faster to help them out to get the job done.  

It seems a bit obvious, and not very useful to hear, but remember to go outside! Getting out into sunlight can make you happier, improve sleep and be good for your body.  

Heading outdoors can be the just the thing on a tricky day, resetting everyone’s mood and giving your body a bit of fresh air and exercise, but the benefit of being outside in natural light is often overlooked – and it shouldn’t be! 

Have you noticed your toddler trying (and maybe managing) to lift or move items that just seem far too big, or heavy, for them to manage? Never mind superheroes, your toddler is growing and developing so quickly that they are the ones truly embracing super strength as they challenge themselves to lift large or heavy items.  

Lifting is often a skill that can be overlooked when thinking of physical development and gross motor skills. But each time your toddler lifts something big up off the floor, or pushes against a heavy object to get it moving, they’re demonstrating (and developing) their rapidly developing sense of strength and balance.  

Toddlers love to clean. We know this might not quite feel true – as toddlers can also be the messiest people in the house by far – but while they might not yet have the skills to keep everything neat and tidy, when given the opportunity toddlers often enjoy the act of cleaning itself. Putting away dishes, wiping a table, mopping a spill, using a dustpan or sweeping with a broom, the act of cleaning itself is something toddlers are often drawn to, and with good reason. 

Toddlers’ bodies are growing and changing, they’re getting taller, stronger and more coordinated, all of which means they can be successful in a wider variety of tasks. They are also looking for opportunities to challenge and build on the physical skills they’re learning.  

For us as adults, music has the power to bring back memories and emotions, and get us moving in a carefree way – often involuntarily! It's the same for your toddler. Along with unlocking a totally joyful expression of movement, music can bring about exciting new feelings and emotions for them. And sharing music and dance with you may plant some shared, never-to-forget moments you both think about whenever you hear a certain tune or song in the years to come. 

Music has been in your toddler’s life since they were born – well before they were born, in fact. They’ll have heard a wide variety of music from their toys, on TV, in the car, in shops, and pretty much everywhere! You might sometimes be surprised at some of the songs they know and wonder where they’ve picked them up. 

When we think about waving or moving arms through the air, although it may seem straightforward, your toddler needs to make a complicated, synchronised movement to do this. It’s not until we delve into the magnificence of how our bodies make it happen that we can appreciate every tiny step of progress your toddler’s striving to achieve. 

Let’s start with the skeleton, which consists of bones, joints and cartilage, and is the foundation of the body. 

It can be instinctive to jump in and help when you notice your toddler trying to lift something you know is heavy, but when it is safe to do so, letting them try (and fail, and try again) helps to develop not only their resilience but also their important gross motor skills.  

Since they were in the womb, your toddler has been building up their gross motor muscles.^[1] This includes all the larger muscles in their body, which need to be strong and powerful enough to support all their movements. Gross motor muscles help your toddler to maintain their posture, and to move their arms, legs and head, so they need to be strengthened to support your toddler to explore the world.