Race across the room crawling like a bear on hands and feet, then switch to a crab crawl on hands and feet with belly up, then finish with frog jumps. Call out a new animal for each lap to keep the movement changing.
How to do it
- 1Show a bear crawl -- hands and feet on the ground, knees off the floor -- and race across the room.
- 2Switch to a crab crawl on the way back -- hands and feet down, belly facing up.
- 3Finish with a round of frog jumps, crouching low and hopping forward.
- 4Let them call out which animal comes next for the following round.
Variations
- If a full crab crawl is too tricky: a simple bear crawl repeated a few times still delivers the same workout.
- How it ends: a final frog-jump sprint to the finish line wraps the race up.
💡 Parent tip
Do each crawl alongside them -- it's a real workout for the adult too, and modelling the movement helps a toddler get the form right.
What your child develops
- Cross-body coordination — bear and crab crawls both require opposite-limb coordination that supports later motor skills
- Core strength — holding a crab crawl position genuinely challenges toddler core muscles
- Imaginative play — inhabiting different animals adds a story layer to a physical workout
Safety notes
- Clear the crawl path of low furniture and sharp corners before starting.
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