Click here to read Balance Beam Color Match Game Terrific for Your Toddler on Hands On As We Grow®
Engage gross motor skills and have some fun with this simple balance beam toddler color match game. Walk the balance beam and get matching!
This simple balance beam game will help your toddler learn colors plus engage those gross motor skills!
You can do this inside or outside, so mix it up to suit your taste.
Gross Motor Play is Important for Every Child
Gross motor play is the building block for childhood development.
Strong gross motor skills support fine motor skills and even cognition. In fact, research even points to motor development as a crucial part of cognitive function.
Why is this great news? Because kids, especially toddlers, love to move!
You can feel confident as a parent knowing that any time you include movement in an activity you’re not only getting their wiggles out. You’re also supporting their development!
Try these nine awesome ideas for an obstacle course for kids for more motor skills fun!
How is Balance Important?
Balance is one of the important gross motor skills I mentioned above. Balance is a foundational skill for many life skills important for kids to learn.
Balance will ultimately allow kids to go up and down stairs well, reaching up on tiptoes, climbing ladders and hills, walking on uneven earth or sidewalks at the park, etc.
That’s why I love this simple balance beam toddler game we came up with.
It combines gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive challenges that your toddler will love!
Balance Beam Toddler Color Match Game
Again, you can do this activity outside or inside, depending on what you have on hand.
For this Toddler Balance Beam Activity You’ll Need:
- Balance beam (use scrap wood, pool noodles, or tape on the floor if you don’t have a balance beam)
- Colorful buckets
- Various colorful objects
Set up Your Toddler Balance Beam Game
First, set up your balance beam on the floor.
I marked the midpoint with painter’s tape.
Next, I set up buckets for various colors.
If you have a set of colorful bowls or buckets use them! Or you can clip colored paper to buckets or bowls to mark the color.
Then collect various items for each color.
Let your toddler help collect items from around the house or yard!
If you want to do this activity outdoors, check out this simple wood balance beam for toddlers you can set up in minutes!
Color Matching Beam Game Time!
Let your toddler stand on the midpoint mark on the balance beam.
One at a time, hand her an object.
Show them how to carry the object carefully across the balance beam.
Don’t fall off!
They can place the object in the correct colored bucket.
It’s that simple!
Repeat until all the objects are in their correct buckets.
For more color matching fun, try this low-prep color matching clothespin game for toddlers.
Extend this Toddler Balance Beam Activity
The best part of simple activities is that they leave room for you to extend and create new ideas!
Start with the simple color match balance beam game. Then explore new ideas as a family to boost those gross motor and cognitive skills!
Here are a few extension ideas to get you started:
- Challenge your toddler to walk backward or crabwalk across the balance beam.
- Match numbers or the letters in their name instead of colors.
- Get older siblings involved by letting them match sight words or math facts.
- Sort by texture, size, or shape instead of colors.
- Have older kids toss colored balls into the same colored basket without stepping off the line. Or while standing on one foot.
Your Turn
Would your toddler love this simple balance beam game? What are your favorite ways to use gross motor play objects like balance beams in your child’s activities?
Share with us in the comments below!
0 Commentaires