GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
 Bear Walking
This involves keeping both hands and feet in contact with the floor while facing the
floor, and the child’s bottom up in the air while moving forward. Works on upper body
strength for fine motor tasks, tactile desensitization, improved body awareness, and
complex bilateral coordination.
 Crab Walking
Involves keeping both hands and feet in contact with the floor while facing the ceiling,
and keeping the child’s bottom up off of the floor. Works on upper body strength for
fine motor tasks, tactile desensitization, improved body awareness, and complex
bilateral coordination.
 Froggy Jumps
Involves squatting down to the floor and then jumping up with hands and feet off of
ground, and moving forward before landing. Helps to have a visual target to jump to or
past. Works on body awareness, large muscle motor sequencing, and endurance.
 Wheelbarrow Walking
Old fashioned wheelbarrow walking… one child places hands on floor and another
individual grabs hold of his ankles and holds them up. With elbows and knees extended,
the child uses his hands on the floor to walk forward. Works on upper body strength
for fine motor tasks, tactile desensitization, improved body awareness, and complex
bilateral coordination.
 Toss and Catch
Have children stand across from each other and toss a ball over handed to another
child. Each child should catch the ball being thrown to him / her. May try having
children stand in a triangle, square, etc. Also may have them try tossing it diagonally to
each other when standing in 2 lines across from each other. Works on turn taking, upper
body endurance and hand-eye coordination.
 Kick Bowling
Set up 10 “bowling pins” (may be cups, cans, 2 liter coke bottles, etc) and then have the
children kick the ball approx 10 feet forward to knock the pins down. Works on balance,
concentration, and foot-eye coordination.

Balance Challenges
Tight Rope Walking (place a strip of tape on the floor and have the children
pretend this is a high wire…practice heel to toe walking)
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GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
Backward Walking (May do in relays from a start to a finish line)
Side Stepping (Again…great for a relay)
Standing on one leg (Just as it sounds…make it competitive and incorporate
counting or a song into the activity)
Galloping (may try doing this around a table or several chairs set up to give a guide
or boundary…also good as a relay)
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Obstacle Courses
Include activities such as riding tricycles around cones, climbing over a stack of gym
mats, walking on a balance beam or on a line on the floor (may tape a jump rope to
the floor to imitate a ‘high wire’), jumping over objects or jumping from one carpet
square to another and then another like ‘lily pads in a pond’, scooter boards around
cones, kicking balls around cones while running, etc.
Ideas for setting up the obstacle course:
let the children help you prepare the area.
let the obstacle course relate to something you might be studying – if working on
shapes that week, create a course that reflects that theme.
let the child enjoy the sensory experience – if he wants to repeat one activity over
and over, let him, at least a little while.
encourage a variety of activities within one obstacle course, for example, a balance
beam/tape line, a tunnel, mats for rolling, a slide, pillows in a pile to walk over, etc.
Try novel experiences – hang balloons from a PVC pipe stand and let the child scoot
under them using a scooter board. Place shaving cream on an old shower curtain and
let them walk in it. Walk over bubble wrap and pop the bubbles. Place a thick rope on
the floor in a curvy pattern and have the child walk on it barefoot. Creep over a
stack of pillows. Cut out green circles and have the child jump from “lily pad to lily
pad”.
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Bean Bag Toss
Bean Bag toss games allow practice at throwing over handed and underhanded
toward a target. Targets may include an area designated by cones or paper, a ball
pit type pool, buckets, hoola hoops or other sizable containers. Make it competitive
and children will generally enjoy the activity (esp. as teams).

Simple Childhood Games
Red Rover: Focuses on running, arm strength
Duck-Duck-Goose: Focuses on quick positional transitions (involving balance,
strength and flexibility),
and running
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GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
Trampoline: used primarily to develop jumping skills.
provide 2 hand support or have student hold rail on trampoline.
Support is best given at chest to shoulder level.
2. Encourage bouncing, jumping, use verbal and visual cues and whatever motivators
work.
3. When the student learns to jump up and down and his feet leave the surface,
encourage him to do more, continuing until he can jump consistently.
4. Move down to the floor and encourage jumping up with 2 hand support and then
without hand support.
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Sit and Spin: In sitting encourage turning self in both directions, start slow and go
faster as skill improves. This will develop trunk control and balance skills.
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Swing The suspended swing is often used for sensory purposes, but can also have a
gross motor component. It can be used for developing balance and equilibrium skills
in various positions. It is best to have one child at a time on the swing when you are
working to develop balance skills. If the child is fearful provide support as needed
and swing very gently. As they gain confidence increase the arc of movement and
take away the physical support. The net swing can be used in lying or sitting and
again is good for both strengthening and developing balance skills.

Hoppity Balls: Generally good for balance, lower extremity and trunk strengthening,
and endurance.
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Scooter Boards:
very good for strengthening arms and back extensors. Try having child hold a hula
hoop or a rope while you pull the child forward as an alternative to pulling self
forward with arms.
You can tie a thick rope about 3 feet off the floor attaching it to something solid at
each end. Have the student lie on his back on the scooter board and pull self along.
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Exercise Balls: There are a variety of activities that can be done on a therapy ball.
prone (on tummy): rocking in all directions can be stimulating, encouraging the child
to raise his head and strengthen neck and back extensors. Rocking down to floor or
to the side can help facilitate protective extension.
supine (on back): this can be a scary position for a child, so should be used carefully.
You can have a child perform modified sit ups in this position.
sitting: excellent position for working on head and trunk control. Bounce or rock
child to stimulate balance responses. Remember to rock forward/backward and
diagonally as well as side to side.
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GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
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Balance Beam: Walking a balance beam helps a child change his walking pattern from
a more childlike one with a wide base of support to a more adult pattern that
encourages them to rotate hips so the child’s knees and feet point straight ahead.
The beam also challenges upright balance. Ways to use the balance beam:
walk sideways
walk with one foot on the beam and one foot off.
walk with hand held assistance one foot in front of the other.
walk independently.
Things to remember – set up the balance beam so your child feels stable on it and is
comfortable using it. A wider beam is easier to use initially. You can even use a wide
board placed on a floor. Provide hand support and when child is ready, encourage him
to do it by himself. A child can also support himself by holding a wall. It is good
practice to let the child go barefoot as they use the beam. If the child is reluctant
to walk across it, let him stand on it momentarily. Use a variety of balance beam
activities in the community as well. You can use railroad ties or other wooden
borders at playgrounds, parks, etc. Another activity is to raise one end of the beam
so the child goes up and down an incline. If the beam is too difficult to start with,
use masking or electrical tape on the floor to create pathways to walk on.
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Slide: A child can work on stair climbing as well as having a great sensory
experience sliding down. Though we encourage our kids to sit on their bottom to
slide, we should really give them the opportunity to slide on their tummy, back,
forward, and backward. Make sure they are safe and take turns however.
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Tunnel: The tunnel encourages crawling which strengthens the upper extremities,
but has other applications. For a highly distractible child, this activity can be
calming and used to help increase focus. If added to an obstacle course it can
improve motor planning. For a child who can not walk or crawl appropriately, they can
lie on their back and scoot through the tunnel or they can pull with their arms and
push with their legs – combat crawl – through. You can put a child on a scooter board
and an adult can pull them through it. Children with visual impairments get good
feedback in a tunnel. Compressing the tunnel so it is shorter can encourage a
reluctant child to crawl through.
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Body Image Activities:
Connect palm to palm with child and have them mirror movements.
Lie on back with eyes closed. Now raise your arm, touch your elbow to your knee,
touch your toes, make a circle in the air with your foot.
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GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
Keep a balloon in the air
Body Control:
1. Jump up (in place) and forward (progressively)
2. Jump over a low object
3. Stand on tip toes with hands on hips
4. Stand on tip toes with hands out to side, then overhead
5. Stand on one foot
6. Make forward and backward bridges with the body
7. Walk with baby steps, giant steps on feet, on heels and on toes
8. Put a small ball in a stocking – have student lie on back – dangle the stocking overhead and
have the student try to hit it with each hand and then with their feet.
9. Roll a ball back and forth while sitting down – gradually increase the distance.
10. Bounce and catch a soft 6in playground ball, then catch it when thrown (can count 1, 2, 3
for timing)
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