LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

Learning Through Play
Infants and toddlers are like scientists—curious and excited to learn about their surroundings. Young children engage in the study of motion through play, a natural and fundamental aspect of their learning journey. Through play, children explore and experiment with the concepts of movement, velocity, and force in a hands-on and interactive manner. Whether they're pushing toy cars down ramps, rolling balls across the floor, or swinging on playground equipment, children are constantly discovering how objects move and interact with their surroundings. Play-based learning allows children to make connections between their actions and the resulting outcomes, fostering a deeper understanding of cause and effect. Moreover, play encourages creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration as children work together to build structures, navigate obstacle courses, or invent new games. By incorporating motion into play activities, caregivers and educators create rich learning experiences that support children's physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. As children manipulate objects, test hypotheses, and engage in imaginative play, they develop essential skills that lay the foundation for future academic success and lifelong learning. Ultimately, learning through play not only enhances children's understanding of motion but also nurtures their natural curiosity, creativity, and joy of discovery.

Movement + Play for Infant/Toddlers

Play is key to all areas of infant/toddler development, including movement and motor skills development.
In their first year, infants learn to lift their heads, roll over, sit, crawl, stand and possibly walk.
Tummy time helps babies build the strength they need for crawling and pulling to stand when they’re older.
Toddlers are naturally active, especially as they get better at climbing, running and jumping.
Play ideas for baby motor skills development include music and sound play, dangling objects, push-and-pull toys and more.
Play ideas for toddler movement include music play, ride-on toys and tricycles, outdoor play and more.

Infant/Toddler Play + Why its Important
Play is one of the main ways that children learn, develop and grow. Getting babies moving through play is good for all areas of their development, especially their motor skills development.

Play helps infants:

strengthen the neck and upper body muscles they need to hold their head up and move around
practice reaching and grasping
strengthen muscles for movements like rolling, crawling and pulling to stand.

Play helps toddlers:

move and strengthen their muscles and bones
good for a toddler’s confidence, as they test their abilities and discover that they can climb higher, run faster and jump further all the time
physical activity is good for their overall health and wellbeing

What to Expect: Infants + Movement
At 3-6 months, babies might be:

reach for toys and roll on to their back during tummy time
bring their hands to their mouth and reach for their legs and toys when lying on their back
try rolling from tummy to back and back to tummy.

By 6-9 months, many babies like lying on their tummies rather than on their backs. When babies lie on their tummies, they can reach for toys and move around in a circle. When they’re ready, they might even try to crawl. Other things babiesmight do at this age are:

rolling from tummy to back and back to tummy
sitting with your help or by themselves
pushing up onto their hands and knees
standing on their legs with your support.

From 9-12 months, babies might be:

crawling, rolling and pulling to stand
sitting by themselves and reaching for toys without falling
moving from a sitting position onto their tummy and back again
playing using both hands.

Tummy Time
Tummy time is time your baby spends on their stomach while they’re awake. Doing tummy time from soon after birth helps your baby build neck, head and upper body strength to crawl and pull to stand when they’re older.

At first, your baby might not like tummy time – it might make your baby vomit or they might miss seeing you when they’re on their tummy. If this sounds like your baby, try tummy time on your chest or across your lap. This puts less pressure on your baby’s tummy and can help with problems like reflux. This position also lets your baby see your face.

You could also get down on the floor with your baby. Let your baby know you’re there by singing, talking, stroking their back or tickling their hands. Try doing tummy time on a range of surfaces, like on carpet indoors or on a blanket outside.

You can start with 1-2 minutes of tummy time and build up to 10-15 minutes several times a day as your baby gets used to it.

Tummy time can be tiring, especially for young babies. When your baby gets tired, roll them onto their back for a break before trying again.

Consider this: Baby walkers and jolly jumpers aren’t recommended. They can delay walking, crawling and sitting without support. It’s better to put your baby on a play mat or blanket on the floor.

What to Expect: Toddlers + Movement
At this age, toddlers will probably be able to:

pick up small pieces of food between their pointer finger and thumb
use both hands well but might prefer to use their left or right hand (choosing the left or right hand for writing and drawing won’t happen for another few years)
hold a pencil in a basic writing position at 2-3 years
turn doorknobs at 2-3 years
walk up and down stairs using alternate feet at 2-3 years – but they’ll probably still need to hold a handrail or an adult’s hand
throw a ball without falling over
screw and unscrew jars and lids at 2½-3 years.

As toddlers heads towards 3 years, you might see that they can’t keep still – they’re always running, jumping or kicking! Toddlers might even try to climb up and over you or other familiar grown-ups. Many toddlers also like rough-and-tumble play.

With practice, walking gradually becomes the heel-to-toes grown-up style, rather than the legs-apart, flat-feet style of a new walker.

Your toddler students are becoming more coordinated and is better at doing simple things for themselves. For example, toddlers can start dressing independently, eating independently with a spoon and fork, and drinking from a cup. By 3 years they can manage toilet training.

Children will want to test physical limits, climbing as high and running as far as possible – small bumps and falls are common. This is a natural part of how children learn and develop.

Play Ideas to Encourage Movement in Infants
It’s good to try plenty of different play activities with infants. This allows babies to move in different ways, which builds their strength and helps them learn how to use different body parts. This is all good for a baby’s motor skills development.

At 0-6 months, you could try the following ideas:

Encourage baby to move to music and sound by singing songs and rhymes or shaking rattles.
Place baby on their tummy to play for short periods several times a day.
Give baby ‘face time’. This involves making eye contact and getting a baby to follow your eyes and turn their head. It helps to build the baby's neck strength and head control.
Encourage baby to lift his head by holding toys at eye level in front of him.
Give baby something to reach for and hold onto such as your finger or a toy.
Hold your baby upright with her feet on the floor, and sing and talk to her.
Use toys that are soft, safe for infants and colorful to attract attention.

Babies aged 6-12 months might like the following activities:

Place toys just out of the baby’s reach to encourage reaching, rolling and moving. You can also use simple toys like rattles to encourage touching and holding.
Give baby wooden spoons to bang on pots and pans, or sealed containers with beads inside to shake.
Sit and support baby upright on the floor, and move a ball or toy in front of them. This encourages the baby to follow the toy with their eyes, reach for it and grasp it.
Encourage a baby to pull to stand. Sit your baby near furniture, and encourage your baby to pull themselves up. Make sure that your furniture is sturdy and won’t fall over.
Encourage baby to squat from standing. Place some toys on the ground in front of a standing baby so they have to squat to pick them up.
If a baby can stand with support, try push-and-pull toys like block wagons. If the wagon goes too fast, put some heavy books or a bag of rice in it to slow it down.
Make tunnels out of chairs or cardboard boxes for a baby to enjoy crawling and moving through.

Quiet, gentle activities are also important, especially for developing a baby’s fine motor skills. For example, picking up small objects or putting pegs into a bucket is good for practicing small finger movements – just make sure your baby doesn’t put any small objects into their mouth. And when a baby spends time just looking at things like colorful books or pictures, it helps them get better at moving their eyes.

More Movement Ideas

Five senses: Provide objects with different colors, shapes, sounds, and textures. Infants will love to examine items from the classroom and nature, like keys, sponges and pinecones. Sit back and see what interests them most.
Let them move around: Give the baby time and space to explore their surroundings by reaching, rolling, scooting, and crawling. Just make sure they are safe.
Go outside: Use all five senses to observe your surroundings. Stop and linger when a child shows interest in something. Examine it and talk about it.
Practice Reaching: Hold a toy over the infant’s head or put one on the floor just beyond their reach to encourage movement.
Move arms and legs: When playing with baby, help them experience new movements. Gently bicycle their legs. Or clap their hands or feet in a rhythm as you sing or chant.
Container play: Once baby can grasp objects, they will enjoy picking them up and dropping them into containers. What objects/containers could they use? Describe their actions using position words.
Mirror play: Give baby a small mirror to play with or sit in front of a large mirror together and make silly faces. Point to and label their body parts.
Play peek-a-boo: Hide your face with your hands and then open them up to show a big smile. You can also hide objects under a towel or in a box for the baby to find.
Help with experiments: An infant discovers how the world works by experimenting. They also learn through repetition, so they might drop a spoon over and over to see what happens. Watch and assist!
On and off: Help older babies push buttons or turn things on/off (with supervision). Think doorbells, light switches, or faucets. Talk about what they did and what happened as a result.
Sink or float: During water play, guess whether an item will sink or float. Then place it in the water to find out. Try a different object. See what happens and talk about it.
Roll a ball back and forth: Make a “Wheee!” sound when you roll it toward them. Or say “My turn/your turn.” They might enjoy throwing or kicking the ball.
Play obstacle course: Make a simple obstacle course using blankets, pillows, or boxes. See if the children can go “over,” “under,” “around,” and “through” them.
Move like animals: Invitechildren to move like different animals. Can they hop like a frog? Flap like a bird? Slither like a snake? Burn off some energy and have fun choosing new animals to imitate.
Make art: Toddlers will enjoy scribbling with crayons, markers, or chalk. They can also experiment with folding or tearing paper. Talk to them about the colors and shapes.
Keep it simple: Simple objects provide opportunities for using imagination. Provide children with simple toys and objects to use creatively. What can they do with a big cardboard box and paper towel tubes?
Act it out: Toddlers will start to imitate grown-up activities, like putting a doll to sleep or giving it a shot. Follow their lead and play along, or watch as they play independently.
Mystery bag: Play guessing games. For example, put a few objects in a bag and have your child guess what’s inside without looking. They can feel, smell, and shake the bag.
Fast and slow dancing: Play a fast song for your child to dance to, then a slower song. Talk about the different speeds and how your child’s dancing changes with the music. Join in if you could use a dance break!
Let them problem-solve: If the children are concentrating on something, stand back and see what they can figure out by themselves. If they get stuck, give just enough help so they can keep going and not give up.

Play Ideas to Encourage Movement in Toddlers
It’s good to try plenty of different play activities with your toddler. This strengthens your toddler’s muscles and helps them learn how to control their body. It’s good for a toddler’s motor skills development.

Here are play ideas to get your toddler moving in different ways:

Listen to music that gets your toddler moving to the beat. Add simple props – like ribbons or homemade shakers – to encourage your toddler to shake, sway or twirl. You can even sing simple songs and rhymes with actions for your toddler to copy.
Try ride-on toys from 12 months.
Try scooters, balance bikes and tricycles from 2-3 years. You can try this even earlier if your toddler shows they’re interested.
Give your toddler different-sized containers so they can put the small ones into larger ones. This helps your toddler practice fine motor skills.
Block or magna tile play
Go for outdoor play in parks or backyards, at the beach, or anywhere your toddler can safely walk, run and explore. This gives your toddler the chance to practice gross motor skills on hilly, sandy, rocky and other surfaces.
Go outside for free play or playground equipment including sand and water sensory play.

Movement on the Playground
Swings, slides, merry-go-rounds and climbing structures are loads of fun – and they offer first-hand experiences with simple machines like ramps and levers, not to mention forces such as rotation, gravity and friction. Exploring and observing how things move provides children with important early experiences in physical science. Turn your local play area into a science playground with these simple activities.

Balance Beam: Many children enjoy the challenge of walking on balance beams or ropes, seeing how long they can stay on. Encourage your child to talk about what she is feeling as she tries to keep her balance. What is she doing with her arms in order to keep her balance? What about her feet? The rest of her body? Asking her to think about what she is doing will help her begin to focus on how certain kinds of movements seem to help balance while others do not. Talk about the force of gravity that is trying to pull her down.
Swings: Learning how to pump legs at the right time to get a swing moving is a milestone of childhood! It’s also a lesson in physics. What leg movements and upper body movements make the swing move faster? What slows it down? Experiment! And talk about how every time they swing up, gravity pulls them back down.
Tire Swings: As they spin, does leaning their body in make the tire move faster or slower? What about leaning their body out?
Floating in the Air: The playground offers high perches where you and your child can investigate how different things fall to the ground and see the force of gravity at work. Find a safe space that is high off the ground. Bring various materials to drop such as balls, feathers, pieces of paper, etc. Do they all fall to the ground the same way? Does a piece of paper fall the same when it is dropped as an open sheet as it does when crumpled into a ball? How about when folded as a paper airplane? Does anything twirl or rotate as it drops?

Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is about cultivating thinking skills. Some thinking skills that mature through movement play include understanding, categorizing, and evaluating—the abilities central to making basic decisions such as when to take a risk and when to avoid one. Examples of thinking skills developing in a young child on the playground:

Understanding – Big kids climb these bars much faster than I do.
Categorization – The ground here is hard, the other playground has soft ground.
Evaluation – Am I swinging slow enough to jump off this swing safely?
Memorization – That boy was at the park the last time I was here.
Visual processing – That merry-go-round is going slow; it was going much faster before.
Focus – I’m going to keep shoveling sand until this bucket is full.
Handle distractions – that boy has a fun toy, but I’m going to keep filling this bucket.
Multitask – I can talk to the girl next to me while I climb on these bars.

As these thoughts occur to children, unique neural pathways are forming in their brains. Those early neural pathways will become the foundations for more sophisticated forms of understanding, categorizing, remembering and so on.

Neuroscience research has shown that movement play enhances the growth of neurons and the connections among neurons in the pre-frontal cortex—the area of our brains where executive functioning happens (Burgdorf). “Executive Function” skills are what enable humans to make the thousands of decisions we face in daily life.

Movement is a way we learn about ourselves. The bodily pleasure of movement is a joyful aspect of our lives. Many adults have lost connection to that joy. It would do us good to reconnect to that joy and experience the rejuvenation it offers—a chance to offset the stress created by the difficulties and anxieties of adult life (Sheets-Johnstone).

Try This!

Soft Obstacle Course Exploration for Babies

Creating a simple obstacle course for babies is a fun and engaging activity that can help develop their gross motor skills and spatial awareness. Here's a step-by-step guide along with some ideas:

Choose a Safe Space: Select a safe and spacious area in your home where you can set up the obstacle course. Make sure there are no sharp edges or hazardous objects nearby.
Gather Soft Objects: Collect pillows, cushions, blankets, stuffed animals, and other soft objects that your baby can crawl over, under, and around. Make sure the items are stable and won't topple over easily.
Set Up the Course: Arrange the soft objects in various configurations to create obstacles. You can stack pillows to form tunnels or ramps, lay blankets on the floor for your baby to crawl over, and place cushions to crawl under.
Include Tunnels: If you have large cardboard boxes or tunnels designed for babies, incorporate them into the obstacle course. Tunnels provide a fun way for babies to crawl through and explore spatial relationships.
Add Challenges: Introduce additional challenges to the obstacle course to keep it engaging. For example, you can place toys or stuffed animals at different points along the course for your baby to reach or grab.
Encourage Exploration: Once the obstacle course is set up, encourage your baby to explore and navigate through the obstacles. Use encouraging words and gestures to motivate them to crawl over, under, and around the objects.
Provide Assistance: Depending on your baby's age and development level, they may need some assistance navigating the obstacle course. Offer a helping hand or provide gentle guidance to help them overcome any obstacles they encounter.
Celebrate Success: Celebrate your baby's achievements as they navigate through the obstacle course. Offer praise, claps, and smiles to reinforce their efforts and encourage further exploration.
Rotate and Modify: To keep the activity fresh and exciting, rotate the objects in the obstacle course or add new elements over time. You can also modify the course to increase the level of challenge as your baby grows and develops.
Supervise Closely: Always supervise your baby closely during the obstacle course activity to ensure their safety. Stay nearby to provide assistance if needed and intervene if any hazards arise.

Reflection
These questions can help parents or caregivers reflect on their baby's experiences, identify areas for further exploration and growth, and deepen their understanding of their child's development.

What did your baby seem to enjoy most about the obstacle course?
Did you notice any particular challenges your baby faced while navigating the obstacles? How did they overcome them?
How did your baby's spatial awareness and motor skills develop during the activity?
What strategies did your baby use to explore and interact with the different obstacles?
Did you observe any changes in your baby's confidence or independence throughout the activity?
How did you support and encourage your baby during their exploration of the obstacle course?
What modifications or additions could you make to the obstacle course to further challenge your baby's development?
Did you notice any patterns or preferences in how your baby approached the obstacles?
How do you think activities like this one contribute to your baby's overall physical and cognitive development?
What other activities or experiences could complement and extend the learning from the obstacle course exploration?

Family Connection
Here are some extension ideas related specifically to the soft obstacle course activity for families to continue exploring motion and movement:

Redesign: Invite family members to help redesign the soft obstacle course together. Encourage everyone to come up with new configurations and challenges using the same soft objects.
Races: Turn the soft obstacle course into a friendly competition by timing each family member as they navigate through the course. See who can complete it the fastest or who can come up with the most creative way to overcome the obstacles.
Theme-based Courses: Create themed obstacle courses based on your child's interests or favorite stories. For example, you could design a jungle-themed course with pillows as stepping stones and stuffed animals as obstacles.
Obstacle Course Relay: Divide the family into teams and set up multiple stations within the obstacle course. Each team member must complete one station before tagging the next teammate to continue through the course, promoting teamwork and cooperation.
Challenges: Introduce specific challenges within the obstacle course, such as crawling backward through a tunnel or hopping on one foot between cushions. Encourage family members to support and cheer each other on as they tackle these challenges.
Storytelling: Turn the obstacle course into a storytelling adventure by narrating a story or creating a scenario that family members must act out as they navigate through the course. Encourage imaginative play and creativity.
Photo Challenge: Take photos or videos of family members navigating through the obstacle course and create a scrapbook or digital album to document the experience. Reflect on the memories created together.
Obstacle Course Yoga: Incorporate yoga poses into the obstacle course, using soft objects as props to support balance and flexibility. Practice child-friendly yoga poses together as you move through the course.
Obstacle Course Night: Set up the soft obstacle course in a dimly lit room and use glow sticks or flashlights to add a magical glow. Explore the obstacle course in the dark for a unique sensory experience.
Family Picnic: Spread out a blanket at the end of the obstacle course and enjoy a family picnic together. Reflect on the fun you had while sharing snacks and stories.
Add Photos: Incorporating family photos into the soft obstacle course activity can add a personal touch and create a warm, welcoming environment for children. Here's how you can integrate family photos into the activity:
- Photo Stations: Set up stations within the obstacle course where family photos are displayed. Each station can feature photos of different family members engaged in various activities or special moments together.
- Photo Pathway: Create a pathway lined with family photos leading through the obstacle course. As children navigate through the course, they can see familiar faces and feel comforted by the presence of their loved ones.
- Photo Memory Game: Use family photos to create a memory game within the obstacle course. Place pairs of matching photos at different points along the course, and encourage children to find the matching pairs as they move through the obstacles.
- Photo Puzzle: Print out a large family photo and cut it into puzzle pieces. Scatter the puzzle pieces throughout the obstacle course, and challenge children to find and assemble the puzzle as they navigate through the obstacles.
- Photo Hide-and-Seek: Hide small family photos among the soft objects in the obstacle course. Children can search for the hidden photos as they crawl over, under, and around the obstacles, adding an element of excitement to the activity.
- Photo Storybook: Create a storybook using family photos to accompany the obstacle course activity. As children move through the course, they can flip through the pages of the storybook and see themselves and their family members engaged in different adventures.
- Photo Scavenger Hunt: Develop a scavenger hunt using family photos as clues. Children can search for specific family members or objects depicted in the photos as they navigate through the obstacle course.
- Photo Reflection Corner: Dedicate a corner of the obstacle course to reflection and relaxation, adorned with family photos. Encourage children to take a moment to look at the photos and reflect on happy memories with their loved ones.
- Photo Collage Wall: Create a collage wall using family photos as a backdrop for the obstacle course. Children can admire the photos as they move through the course, fostering a sense of connection and belonging.
- Photo Celebration: At the end of the obstacle course, gather as a family to celebrate by looking at a photo album or slideshow of cherished family memories. Reflect on the joy and love shared within the family.

By incorporating family photos into the soft obstacle course activity, you not only create a calming and welcoming environment for children but also reinforce family bonds and create opportunities for meaningful connections and conversations.

Or Try These Sensory Play Ideas
Sensory play activities with sand or rice, allow toddlers to explore movement in a tactile and kinesthetic way. They can manipulate materials, experiment with pouring, scooping, and sifting, and observe how different movements affect the materials they interact with. These sensory play ideas provide toddlers with rich opportunities to explore movement while engaging their senses and fostering creativity and imagination. Remember to supervise toddlers closely during sensory play activities to ensure their safety and enjoyment.

Adding Toys with Wheels: Incorporate toy vehicles such as trucks, cars, or trains into the sensory bin filled with sand or rice. Encourage your toddler to push the vehicles through the material, observing how the wheels move and create tracks.
Making Tracks: Provide tools like sticks or toy shovels for your toddler to draw lines or make tracks in the sand or rice. They can experiment with different movements like dragging, swirling, or tapping to create patterns and shapes.
Scooping and Pouring Obstacle Course: Set up an obstacle course using small containers or cups placed at different heights and distances. Encourage your toddler to scoop sand or rice from one container and pour it into another, navigating the obstacles along the way.
Sorting and Transferring: Introduce objects of different shapes, sizes, and textures into the sensory bin along with the sand or rice. Encourage your toddler to sort the objects based on specific criteria (e.g., color, size) and transfer them from one container to another, promoting hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Imitating Animal Movements: Use toy animals or animal figurines to inspire movement in the sensory bin. Encourage your toddler to imitate the movements of animals such as digging like a dog, burrowing like a rabbit, or slithering like a snake in the sand or rice.
Experimenting with Gravity: Provide various containers with different openings (e.g., funnels, tubes, colanders) and let your toddler explore how sand or rice moves through them. They can experiment with pouring the material from high to low or watching it trickle through narrow openings, learning about gravity and cause-and-effect relationships.
Creating Sensory Art: Spread a layer of paper over a flat surface and invite your toddler to sprinkle sand or rice onto the paper using their hands or tools. They can explore movement by shaking the paper to spread the material, creating textured artwork.
Building Sandcastles or Rice Structures: Encourage your toddler to use their hands or molds to build structures like sandcastles or rice towers in the sensory bin. They can experiment with different movements and techniques to construct and manipulate the materials.
Water Play Integration: Combine water with sand or rice to create a unique sensory experience. Your toddler can observe how the addition of water changes the movement and texture of the materials, allowing for new exploration opportunities.
Exploring Sensory Paths: Lay out sensory paths using sand or rice-filled trays or shallow containers on the floor. Your toddler can walk or crawl along the paths, feeling the different textures under their feet and practicing balance and coordination.

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Young children are constantly on the move. As they run, jump, climb and tumble, they experience motion, stability and balance with their own bodies. They also observe how toys respond to their actions and how objects, materials and living things in the world around them move. Pushes and pulls — what scientists call forces — can make things go, stop, speed up, slow down or change direction. They can also make things change shape. Toddlers enjoy experimenting with pushing, pulling, dropping, throwing and kicking things to see what happens. They observe how toys roll, how balls bounce and how the wind blows things around. When you provide safe spaces and lots of opportunities for your child to explore pushes and pulls, you promote their learning. When you join in, you give them the message that their explorations are important. As you investigate pushes and pulls with your young children, introduce and use words — like stand and topple, slide and roll, up, down, left, right and sideways — that help them express what they are doing, noticing and thinking about. Individual children will be interested in exploring different things, so remember to follow your child’s lead!