11/07/2026
With just one weekend of the school holidays left, if you're looking for one more simple activity, this one is for you.
Simple movement games can be fun, low-cost, and easy to set up at home or at the local park with a little brain-building bonus too.
Balancing, reaching, crawling, jumping, crossing the body and using both sides together all give kids opportunities to practise coordination, body awareness and confidence in how they move.
And while they play, it can also be a chance to simply notice how their body is moving.
Do they reach both ways?
Can they squat down and stand back up easily?
Do they look up, down and across?
Do they prefer turning their whole body instead of reaching across?
Do they seem confident with balance and coordination?
Every child moves differently, and this isn’t about making play into a test. But if your child consistently avoids certain movements, finds them unusually tricky, or seems less confident with balance, coordination or body awareness, it may be worth checking in.
School holidays can be a great time to book the appointments that are harder to fit in during the school term.
This was Dr Hayley's set up with her kids:
🌿 a tape line for balance
🌿 cushion "stepping stones"
🌿 soft toys taped on both sides
🌿 toys placed at different heights
🌿 a basket for the animals to be rescued into
The idea was to encourage balancing, reaching, squatting, looking around, crossing the body and moving in different directions.
In reality, it became a joyful free-for-all, most instructions were completely ignored, and it was on repeat for the rest of the day.
And that's okay too.
For older kids, you could make it more challenging by adding extra instructions:
• animal walks for one round
• keep feet pointing straight ahead
• only use one hand
• rescue animals in a certain colour order
• balance on the tape line the whole way
• crawl, jump or tiptoe between each toy
• make it a timed challenge
There's no one perfect way to do it. The goal is simply to make movement playful.
Try it at home, in the hallway, outside, or at the park and save this one for the day you need a fun play idea.
