Gross motor development
Toddlers practice balancing their bodies while standing and moving their hands and arms.
Invite several toddlers to join you for a rhyme that helps us move parts of our body. Encourage toddlers to sit on the floor with you. Then have the group stand together, positioning yourself across from the toddlers. Give each toddler a doll or toy animal. Explain: “We can make our toy animals and dolls move!” Demonstrate moving your toy.
Point to your ear. Explain: “Please watch what I do with my doll and listen to my words. The words tell us how to move our toy. Are you ready?”
Demonstrate the actions described below while you say the corresponding words. Then invite toddlers to join you in moving their doll or toy animal as you repeat the words and actions.
Our friends go up, up!
[Lift the toy over your head with two hands.]
Our friends go down, down.
[Move the toy to the floor.]
Now they move from side to side.
[Hold toy to one side, using one hand. Transfer toy to other hand. Move it to the opposite side.]
Our friends can touch the sky.
[Hold the toy up high.]
Our friends turn around.
[Hold the toy and turn.]
All our friends sit down.
[Return to sitting position on the floor.]
At the end of the activity, consider using the words “We all fall down” instead of “All our friends sit down.” Many toddlers enjoy intentionally falling over!
Toddlers engage core muscles of their torso in this activity that emphasizes balance and coordination. Standing up from a sitting position on the floor requires coordinated body movements and can be a particular challenge for maintaining balance. Give toddlers time to move from sitting to standing in the opening segment of the activity.
Toddlers’ ability to balance their bodies is typically enhanced by manipulating a toy while standing, bending, and reaching upward. Holding a toy up high while standing can help increase skill in balance. Some toddlers may sway side to side, shifting their weight from one foot to the other foot to maintain balance. Moving while maintaining balance may be a challenge for some toddlers. Offer support by saying and doing the actions slowly. The activity promotes learning relational terms of up, down, and side. Emphasize these words as you recite the rhyme.
Monitor toddlers’ excitement levels. If there is a high level of excitement, help toddlers move into a calm state before ending the gathering. Use a quiet voice to talk about the activities they may do next.
Extra support
Enrichment
Gross motor development
Toddlers practice balancing their bodies while moving to touch parts of their head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
Be Prepared: Become familiar with the song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” Use of a CD for the activity is not recommended. Learning is enhanced when toddlers see and hear their caregiver sing the words, and when the caregiver can adjust the pace of the song. Arrange carpet squares several inches apart to prevent accidental bumping during the activity.
[Invite toddlers to sit on the floor. Begin by singing a short song toddlers will enjoy.]
I have a fun song to share with you.
[Point to your ears.]
Please listen while I sing to you. The song will tell us what to do!
[Sing the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” while seated. Demonstrate the actions and encourage toddlers to follow you. Remember that you add interest to the activity with your smile and enthusiasm.]
Are you ready to stand up and sing the song with me?
[Allow sufficient time for all toddlers to stand. Comment on toddlers’ readiness to participate. Example: “This is great! We are standing up. We are ready to play our singing game. I will sing and you may sing, too!”
Repeat the song and lead toddlers in the actions. Positively recognize all types of participation, including watching others. At the end of the song, clap for the toddlers.]
Let’s all sit down. It is fun to learn a new song and game! We moved our bodies. We stood up. We bent down. We reached up, and we reached down to our knees.
Let’s have a nice calm song before we play. You may listen or sing with me.
[Sing a familiar and calm song, such as “Rock-a-bye Baby.”]
Today we played a new game. Our song told us to touch our head and our shoulders. Next, the song told us to touch our knees and toes. You listened to the words and moved your body in different ways while you were standing up!
Beginning the activity with children sitting on the floor is intentional. It provides practice in moving to a standing position. Getting up from the floor to stand requires strength, coordinated body movement, and balance. Practice is important. Some toddlers may put their hands on the floor to balance before standing. Others may stand without the assistance of a hand or any hands.
Watch for the ease with which toddlers follow the actions. Adjust the pace accordingly. The song facilitates toddlers’ practice in changing body positions while maintaining balance. Be sure to speak clearly as you sing, emphasize the names of body parts, and slightly accentuate your own body movements so toddlers have a strong model.
Moving and identifying body parts will be an enjoyable focus for toddlers. Some toddlers may eagerly imitate the actions to the song and other toddlers may choose to observe. Toddlers who are learning the names of body parts may not point to the requested part. All kinds of participation have value. Toddlers will delight in the actions as you add liveliness to the song! Clapping at the end of a song provides the beginning of a transition to the next activity and is especially fun for toddlers.
At this age, toddlers are not expected to sing the song. Generally, toddlers listen and learn before they sing new songs.
Extra support
Enrichment
After toddlers sit down, extend the game to other body parts. Examples: “Wiggle your fingers.” “Pat your legs.” “Put your arms up.” Gross motor development, Fine motor development
Toddlers practice balancing their bodies while standing and moving their arms and hands in particular ways, including rolling.
None
Invite toddlers to sit on the floor to learn a new game called “Roly Poly.” Make a rolling motion with your hands to demonstrate the action for roly poly. Invite toddlers to imitate the rolling motion with their hands.
Encourage children to say roly poly several times. Explain: “Roly Poly are silly words that sound almost the same. Let’s say the words again!” Repeat several times. Positively acknowledging laughter and silliness during the activity adds to the pleasure of learning. Join children in their fun with the words and corresponding actions.
Invite toddlers to stand to say roly poly as they try to make a rolling motion with their hands. Offer the first verse (see below) and invite toddlers to follow you. After most toddlers are comfortable with the actions, add more words and actions by offering the second verse.
Roly Poly. Roly Poly.
[Make rolling motion with hands.]
Up, up, up.
[Reach arms up in the air.]
Roly Poly. Roly Poly.
[Make rolling motion with hands.]
Down, down, down.
[Move arms to the ground.]
Roly Poly. Roly Poly.
[Make rolling motion with hands.]
Touch your nose.
[Touch your nose with pointer finger.]
Roly Poly. Roly Poly.
[Make rolling motion with hands.]
Touch the sky.
[Reach arms/hands up high.]
Roly Poly. Roly Poly.
[Make rolling motion with hands.]
Fly, fly, fly.
[Move both arms as if flying.]
This is a challenging activity that is bested suited for toddlers who can readily participate in Options 1 and 2. In the current activity option, notice how toddlers respond to notable features of the activity:
Slow the pace according to toddlers’ quality of participation, including their efforts linked to direction words (up, down, fly). Encourage toddlers to say direction words with you. Recognize that it may take participation in several separate offerings of this activity for children to master the rolling action.
Notice also how toddlers say the rhyming words “Roly Poly.” Some may say the phrase clearly. Others may say one syllable of each word. In general, young children enjoy rhyming words—especially silly rhyming words.
Positively recognize all levels of participation, including toddlers’ efforts to move their hands in small circles. Some toddlers may make their own motions for the rhyme, such as flapping their hands.
Do not be surprised to see toddlers enact parts of the activity (especially the roly poly words and rolling action) during play periods, including outdoor time.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrae, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Child’s Play, Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig, soft and hard baby dolls, mat, hand towels, climber
Place several soft and hard baby dolls on a mat. Provide hand towels for toddlers to wrap the dolls. Talk with toddlers about the body parts on the dolls. Repeat the names of body parts. Point to body parts on the dolls and the children. Example: “Here is dolly’s arm. Here is your arm.”
Kneel close to the toddler climber in your room to supervise and encourage toddlers as they go up and down steps. Offer reminders about turning around before coming down. Example: “Turn around. Feet go first.”
Display books that illustrate body movements to share with toddlers.
Materials Needed: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrae, paper shapes, glue
Children of different ages will enjoy the “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” song and actions. Infants will listen or move as they like. As an additional song and movement opportunity, preschool-age children and toddlers may have fun doing “The Hokey Pokey” dance. Modify the words of the song to fit the development of the children. Example: Rather than naming right and left, change the words from “left arm” to “one arm.” Preschool-age and older children will enjoy the challenge of maintaining their balance while standing on one foot and counting to three or five. Share the book, Giraffe’s Can’t Dance, and talk with children about different ways the animals move. Provide paper shapes for children to create a dancing creature by gluing shapes together.
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