Activities for toddlers

Toddlers love to move around. All physical activities – whether it's walking, running, climbing, jumping or dancing – help their muscles, bones and brains develop. Ideally, they need 180 minutes of activity a day. But don't worry, it doesn't have to be all at once – 10 or 20 minutes here and there all counts towards the total. And all sorts of activity counts, whether it's indoors or outdoors. It's just about getting them moving every day.

Playtime activities are equally important and really helpful for language development, cognitive growth (thinking, concentrating, problem-solving, decision-making) fine and gross motor skills (big and small physical movements), and social interaction.

Toddling

Practice makes perfect and it's an important part of growing up, so it's good to try to make sure your baby is free to have a toddle when they get the urge.

At home

There are lots of ways you can get your child moving while we are spending lots of time at home. Have a game of hide-and-seek, see who can do the most star jumps, create an obstacle course or stick some music on and have a dance-off.

You can find lots of fun activity ideas for 0 to 5 year-olds from Hungry Little Minds and the BBC’s Tiny Happy People.

Go to the park

Get them running around the park – take a ball and practice throwing, catching and kicking it around. These simple activities teach skills like co-ordination, balance and agility.

Sensory play

Toddlers love sensory play, and it's a wonderful way to spend time with them and let them explore the world. It's all about stimulating their senses through touch, smell, taste, seeing and hearing.

Walking

Once your little one has mastered walking, try to encourage this as much as possible. If you're heading to the park for some exercise, try letting your toddler walk some of the way.