This list of movement activities for preschoolers and their parents include both indoor and outdoor activities. Get moving together as a family!
It is my mission to wake up before the kids every day.
Not so that I can go through some kind of morning routine that includes affirmations and gratitude, but so I can enjoy a few minutes of calm and quiet before the energy starts.
The three (almost four) year old energy and the one (almost two) year old energy.
The level of energy that Rob and I often joke about finding a way to convert to power the house. Like solar without the panels.
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Sure, Zoey is very good at sitting down for long stretches and really concentrating on a craft project or being engrossed in some quiet imaginative play games, but she also wants to run, jump, fall on purpose, and be generally goofy with her body.
So, until we find a way to match her energy (my two cups of tea a day are not cutting it), these movement activities for preschoolers and parents have to suffice.
The majority of these movement activities are built to do with a parent at least supervising if not completely engaging with them. Think of it as a way to get in some extra movement for your body as well!
Take these activities outside, modify the activities for inside, and have fun trying to keep up with your preschooler.
Just remember to hydrate.
Save these ideas to Pinterest so you can reference them quickly whenever you need.
Modified Musical Chairs
I put this movement activity out for the kids on a whim and it was a complete hit!
We started with color papers. I played music and we ran in a circle (and then all over). When the music stopped, we all stood on a color. Before we played again, we had to say the name of the color we were standing on.
The game graduated to using letters as our spots to stand on. There are so many variations you could do with this!
Ball Chase
We have been using this tactic for the past three years to get our kids to go on longer walks. Literally just grab a ball and chase it, kick it, or throw it as you walk.
Hula Hoops
Jump in them, throw them, pretend they are steering wheels, or use them as a regular hula hoop, which if you have a trick for going more than four rotations, please let me know.
Movement Songs
There are some very creative movement songs for kids. A straight up dance party to some of your favorite tunes works as well.
A few of our favorites apart from the usual Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Baby Shark include:
Croquet
We set up this indoor croquet game from Toddler Approved using construction paper, painters tape, mallets from our Break the Ice game, and whiffle balls. You could also set it up outdoors with pool noodles for both mallets and arches.
Jump Directions
I love movement activities for preschoolers that involve no prep work and can be put together in an instant. Trace feet pointing in different directions with sidewalk chalk. Have your child jump from one tracing to the next with their toes going in the correct direction. This is a great way to practice left and right.
Walk
A simple walk in your neighborhood can be very exciting. Zoey loves to find neighbors to talk to and William enjoys picking up sticks.
If you need to spice up your walk to keep your child motivated to continue moving you can:
- bring a spray bottle with water
- do a scavenger hunt
- bring a ball to chase
- bring sidewalk chalk
- get them on wheels (scooters, Strider bikes, etc.)
- turn a stick into a magic wand and cast spells as you walk
Scavenger Hunt
I tried this particular movement activity for preschoolers with Zoey recently and she loved it! Keep in mind our little lady is very studious and loves to write and check things off, so this may not work for those who just have the wiggles.
Have your child tell you the objects they want to find outside. You can do this inside as well by finding different types of objects like something big, something small, something heavy, something red, etc.
Tag
Standard kid friendly tag. Run run run!
Throw Rocks Into Water
If you live near any type of body of water, head there and spend some time at the water’s edge simply throwing rocks. This has provided us with hours of fun over the years and was our go to movement activity for preschoolers in Colorado as we lived near a few different streams.
I highly recommend packing a change of clothes and a towel because, inevitably, someone ends up too wet.
Egg Shakers
Fill some plastic Easter eggs with loose change and shake them in all kinds of ways. This is a fun one to experiment with different amounts of coins in the eggs to determine which ones shook better or made different sounds.
Trampoline Dice
My mom gifted us a trampoline and the kids enjoy it. It is an easy movement activity for preschoolers and two year olds alike as it helps them get a touch of energy out on cold days. The trampoline has also been a great, exhausting exercise in learning how to share and take turns.
One way we mix up the straight monotony of jumping is to roll a dice and have the kids, Zoey especially, jump that many times.
Ways to mix up the type of jumps include:
- regular jumps
- mouse jumps
- high as you can jumps
- one foot jumps
- spin jumps
- wide jumps
- close jumps
Tape Obstacle Course
Use some streamers and painter’s tape to set up an obstacle course in a narrow part of your home. Your child then has to get through the streamers without knocking any of them down.
The last time we did this was in Colorado over a year ago and Zoey still remembers it. We played for over an hour that day. We have almost the same exact hallway set up here in Minnesota, so we are going to do it again in the coming weeks.
Announcing Truck Races
Being an announcer all started when we gave the kids cheap, plastic microphones for Christmas as part of their stocking stuffers. They race trucks around the circle of our house and I announce into the microphone as if I was speaking an audience and narrating the race and the drivers. They absolutely adore it.
Color Match Game
My high school cross country coach had us play this game on one of our rest days and I have played it with my own athletes as well.
Set up cones, or some other bright marking, around your yard or inside your house. Have your child find their first assigned color. Once they put that color on their note card and bring it back to the start, they get the next color to go find.
Extend this activity by having your child practice letter, number, and name writing in different colors.
Ride Bikes
Both Zoey and William adore their Strider bike and we regularly take it for a spin around the block. Do not forget the helmets!
Tail Chase
We learned this activity a few summers ago when Zoey was in a summer sports camp for toddlers.
Tuck a small towel, hat, or flag in the back of your pants and have your child chase you to try and catch it. It is like a version of flag football.
Pool Noodle Baseball
Cut a pool noodle in half and have your child use it like a baseball bat to hit whiffle balls or ball pit balls. Pool noodles also made great golf clubs.
Simon Says
A great indoor or outdoor option and a good one to practice body control and listening with your preschooler.
Cone Flip
Flip cones over on their side and have your child right them using only her toe. If you do not have cones on hand you can use plastic cups.
Red Light Green Light
A good old fashioned game where one person stands at the front with her back to everyone else and calls out red light for runners to stop and green light for runners to go. Once someone tags the caller, switch places.
This particular movement activity for preschoolers is ideal for the age group because it helps them work on impulse control and following directions.
Mr. Fox
Zoey came home from preschool one day just buzzing about this game she played during gym time. With the “Mr. Fox” standing at the front and your child standing a ways back, your child calls, “What time is it Mr. Fox?” Then, you answer with a time. Your child takes that many steps forward. Once your child tags you, switch places. I
Post It Match
No matter what skill your child is working on (letter, numbers, shapes, colors), this is a fun one.
Create a home board with all of the letters on it. Write one letter per Post It and stick them around the room. Have your child find them one at a time and match them up to the home board.
Hide and Seek
Your standard game. Lots of counting, thinking, sitting still, and laughing.
Hill Roll
While this might seem ridiculous, our kids adore rolling down hills. There is one in the middle of the walking loop we like to take and they could easily spend 45 minutes going up and down this little grassy incline.
Follow the Leader
A classic! We use this one a lot when we are going on walks and need the kids to move a little bit faster. Wave your arms, jump around, walk in a zigzag, do monster steps, walk like a fairy. Just have fun with it.
Shape Run
Cut out large shapes from construction paper, or draw them with different colored chalk outside. Tell your child to jump on the purple square or the green triangle. They have to run back to you after each jump.
Balloon Toss
We had some leftover balloons from a paper mache project and even though balloons freak me out for the popping in a face risk, we blew up two of them. The kids laughed over these balloons for probably a good hour playing keep off the ground with our hands and feet.
If all else fails you can just run circles around the inside of your house, which is actually one of our favorite things to do. We all run circles and we take turns hiding and jumping out at each other. The kids end up hysterical over it.
Anything that results in laughter is always a win in my book.
Make sure you save these movement ideas on Pinterest!
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
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