Gross motor skills use the large muscles of the body and are a focus in pediatric physical therapy. In this blog, NAPA pediatric therapists share their favorite gross motor toys for toddlers and children of all ages. Practicing gross motor skills at home can be lots of fun using the gross motor toys on this list!
Rock, roll, sit or stand. Improve core strength and stability, balance and coordination, this concave board gross motor toy provides hours of fun as well as sensory input. This toy can be used indoors or outdoors!
Provide the perfect opportunity for crawling, climbing, and motor planning with a simple tunnel.
Crawl your way to better bilateral coordination, improved upper extremity and trunk strength, and endless opportunities to use your imagination. Place the tunnel over some pillows to challenge strength and balance even more!
Is it a bucket? Is it a mountain? Is it a hat? This open-ended toy provides endless opportunity for gross motor toy play. Step from mound to mound, sit inside and spin, scoop sand, or wear as a hat!
Build balance needed for hopping and skipping while stomping and catching. See how high you can catapult the bean bags through the air before catching them, working on eye hand coordination and catching skills.
Play catch and practice throwing, while building hand strength and eye-hand coordination skills. To increase the challenge, try standing on some pillows or squishy surfaces to challenge balance and postural control!
According to the experts at NAPA Center, these 5 gross motor toys listed above are some of the best for improving gross motor skills. We hope you found them fun and useful!
At NAPA Center, we believe in creating individualized programs that address every child’s specific needs across a range of different therapies. Every child is unique, which means implementing unique therapy programs is the only way to help them truly reach their full potential. Contact us today to learn more about our process and our track record of results.
