March or crawl in a loop around the living room, changing which animal you're being every lap — waddle like a penguin, hop like a bunny, gallop like a horse, stomp like an elephant. A simple, boisterous way to burn energy with no equipment at all.

How to do it

1Clear a simple loop path around the furniture in the living room.
2"Let's be penguins — waddle all the way around!" Lead the first lap yourself.
3Call out a new animal for each lap: bunny hops, horse gallops, elephant stomps, snake slithers.
4Let the child call out the next animal once they've got the idea — handing over control extends the game.

Variations

If a toddler wants to repeat their favourite animal: let them — repetition is the whole point at this age, not a sign to move on.
How it ends: one final, loudest-possible animal (a roaring lion lap) gives the parade an energetic finish.

💡 Parent tip

Doing the moves alongside them, even briefly, doubles the enthusiasm — toddlers copy energy more than instructions.

What your child develops

Gross motor variety — waddling, hopping, and galloping each use different muscle patterns
Imaginative movement — embodying an animal is an early form of physical storytelling
Vocabulary — naming animals and their movements builds descriptive language