33+ Preschool Gross Motor Skills Activities ~ Playtime Ideas For Kids

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Are you looking for some fun and easy preschool gross motor skills activities to do with your kids or your class? We have a fantastic list of the best energy-busting games and activities for you to try!

blonde haired little boy swinging on a swingset, text overlay gross motor skills activities for preschoolers 31 fun & easy ideas

Some parents might think that gross motor skills activities can wait until after preschool but this is not the case. It is important to start engaging in these activities with your child as early as possible for them to develop properly.

That being said, the motor movement activities and games listed below can be enjoyed by kindergarten or older kids, even moms, dads, and teachers too! I think it’s more fun all the way around when the grown-ups get in on the action. But I’m sort of a big kid at heart so that might just be me.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills are whole-body movements involving moving the body’s large muscles. These large core-stabilizing muscles (arms, legs, and torso all work together to perform everyday functions. For example, crawling, walking, running, standing, and sitting. These skills also involve balancing and hand-eye coordination. Basically, all those big physical movements that your hard-working body does every single day use your gross motor skills.

Examples Of Gross Motor Skills Kids Use At Play

Your child’s entire body works together to do all the fun things that kids love to do!

walking
running
crawling
hopping
skipping
jumping
standing
balancing
lifting
holding
climbing
rolling
catching, throwing, or hitting a ball
bouncing or dribbling or shooting a ball

Why Do Children Need Gross Motor Skills Development?

Preschoolers need to hone these gross motor skills to do all sorts of fun kid things like running, jumping, skipping, and climbing. But they also need them for everyday tasks including getting dressed, standing on their step-stool to brush their pearly whites, and even toileting by themselves.

All these little accomplishments are what will eventually turn your preschooler into a “big kid” and of course, they will be very proud of themselves! I hear ” I got this Mom” every day now for things our little guy used to need help with. He also can now help with chores like bringing in the empty recycle boxes or helping my husband and I carry in groceries!

Getting through everyday life involves moving your body in all sorts of functional ways.

As adults, we just take for granted that we can do all the things our bodies do. Like climbing stairs, lugging in groceries, and even putting on our pants one leg at a time. Once upon a time, we all learned these things as kids. We just don’t really remember learning all of them.

If you’re up for it, why not unleash your inner child and get in on the action?

There are so many physical activities for preschoolers that parents can join in on! These fun movement activities and silly games will improve kids’ gross motor skills Including coordination (including hand-eye), agility, balance, strength, and speed.

Gross Motor Skills Activities Work Wonders To Burn off Toddler Energy!

As a bonus, large motor preschool movement activities and games are amazing energy burners and boredom busters for preschoolers.

It’s a fact. All kids need to move their bodies and get their wiggles out right? This is especially true during the winter months when we all are spending way less time outdoors when the days are shorter and the weather gets a bit nasty.

The best way for parents to help their children develop gross motor skills and burn off energy is by providing them with plenty of opportunities for physical activity. This includes playing outdoors, engaging in active games, or going on family walks.

It’s our job as caregivers to help them find fun and creative outlets for their abundant energy!

A round or two of Hide-and-go-Seek or Red Light/Green Light is a welcome change from watching TV or screen time to get muscles moving and hearts pumping!

littlle children running across a field outdoors, text overlay 33 super fun gross motor activities for preschool and kindergarten

Now, onto the list! Below are some of the best indoor and outdoor preschool movement activities to do with your kids…

33+ Gross Motor Activities For 3, 4, 5, & 6-Year-Olds

Preschoolers and kindergarteners are learning how to use their bodies in new ways. They are developing their gross motor skills and cognitive development. The list of large motor activities below will help them develop these skills and have fun at the same time!

Freeze Dance
Red Light Green Light
Simon Says
What Animal Am I Game- take turns with your child pretending to be different animals or do animal charades and see if you can guess each other’s choices
Family Yoga- downward dogs, easy tree poses, or big stretching sun salutations are all great for engaging the body
Body ABC’s- spell out the alphabet letter by letter using your arms, legs, and body and have your child follow your lead ( it’s a great way to help them work on their ABC’s too!)
Musical chairs
Vacuuming or sweeping together- our son always loved “vacuuming” with his toy vacuum.
Jumping Jacks or Squats
Make and fly paper airplanes
Twister Dance- Crank up the oldies tunes like Chubby Checker’s ‘Twist’ and get twisting!
Twister (the board game)
Running in Place- get those arms and legs pumping
Balancing- See how long your child can balance a book or another flat object on their head. Small toys like blocks or household items like wooden spoons or plastic spatulas work great too!
Masking Tape Balance Challenge- tape a long strip of masking tape on the floor and have your child see if they can walk it one step at a time without “falling off” the line
Plank Balance Challenge- similar to the masking tape balance challenge but instead using a wood plank outside
Hopping on one foot and switching to the other
Dance party- this is our Saturday morning routine to kick off the weekend!
Practicing somersaults
Stair Climb- try getting your preschooler to walk up or down stairs one step at a time (spot them, obviously!) Counting the steps together is an awesome way to work on numeracy skills as well!
Blowing and chasing bubbles
Fall Fun- Rake up a big pile of autumn leaves and dive in!
Snow Day? No problem! Build a snowman or a snow fort together, or find a small hill to go tobogganing!
Windy Day? Go fly a kite together!
Hide and seek
Hopscotch
Water Play on a Hot Day! Head to your local splash pad, run through a sprinkler, or have a water balloon toss.
Playground Equipment- Whether it’s a small swingset in your backyard or at a full climbing frame or jungle gym at the neighborhood park, get them climbing! An hour doing fun playground activities will work on all those preschool gross motor skills!
Take a Family Walk- put some pizazz in your stroll. Challenge your kiddos to walk backward for a few steps, and try to skip, hop, or side shuffle as you take a walk together.
Running up a hill and rolling down
Playing catch with a ball or frisbee, riding a tricycle
Kicking a soccer ball into a net or makeshift net
Interactive Video Game Workouts For Kids- We got introduced to PE Bowman’s YouTube channel in 2020 when we had to do virtual kindergarten. I must say it was a great way to get moving and the kids had so much fun doing the challenges! I’ll link to the video below. That’s much easier than me trying to explain it in words.

Jack Hartman also has an amazing YouTube learning channel incorporating early years education content with physical activities. Videos like Workout To 100 were a big hit at our house during the preschool and kindergarten years! He has a unique style that always made me chuckle.

Preschoolers are at the age where they are exploring their world, learning new things, and developing their gross motor skills every day. They need a lot of physical activity! This is why it is so important for parents to provide a safe environment for their kids to play in and have fun.

These playtime ideas for kids can help parents with teaching their children about gross motor skills and cognitive development in a fun way!

So give some of these preschool gross motor skills activities a whirl with your little ones, have a few (or many) belly laughs, and make some fun memories for you all to cherish while you’re at it.

Until next time, K.

Kelly Blakely is the founder and creative force behind Just Our View From Here. As a first-time mom over 40, she brings a fresh perspective to parenting and family life on her blog. Kelly also explores a wide range of lifestyle topics in her writing, including fashion, beauty, self-care, and well-being.