Active Gross Motor Movement Activities for Kids

Gross motor activities are a great way for kids to spend all that energy that gets built up!

We have tons of indoor and outdoor gross motor activities to do with the kids that you'll find below. Young kids learn best while moving around! Get them up and moving!

If you're on looking to burn off their energy...

We believe kids learn best while moving, and in general, little kids need to move!

And... remember it's best to build the kids' gross motor skills before working with fine motor activities!

Check out all the gross motor activities below.

Browse Gross Motor Activities:

Preschool Scavenger Hunt to Find Colors

Slice the Web Lightsaber Activity

Gross Motor Activity for a Rainy Day: Walking on Pillows

Find & Erase the Matching Shapes

Painting with Wheels Gone Bigger

How to Play Outdoor Games for All Ages, Together

Dandelion Counting Race

A Balancing Indoor Activity for Toddlers

Fun & Simple Cornhole Game for Kids to Make

Jump & Grab the Matching Shapes

It’s a Windy Race to Make the Kids Silly

5 Physical Activities to Help Keep Kids Healthy

Photo Scavenger Hunt for Kids to Find Shapes

Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt: Leaf Counting

Follow the Lines to the Apple

Indoor Throwing Activity That Won’t Break Breakables

Easy to Make [and Fun to Use] Catch the Ball Toy

1, 2, 3 Counting Maze for Preschoolers

Number Maze for Kids Learning to Count

String a Line to Matching Pairs for Sight Words

Pom Pom Learning Games on the Stairs

Comparing Shapes with Snowballs

Turn These 15 Outdoor Activities into 15 Fun Indoor Activities for Kids

Kindergarten Math Activity to Solve Simple Addition Problems

Sort Colors & Get Moving With a Play Tunnel

Ring Toss Name Recognition Activity

Giant Spider Web Maze for Kids

Spider Web Sight Word Match

Explore Textures on an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Beginning Letter Sounds Sort Game

Super Power Rings Scavenger Hunt for Kids

The Kids Went Dumpster Diving… in a Cardboard Box!

Making Fitness for Kids FUN!

Lowercase Letters String Scavenger Hunt for Kids

A Beginning Letter Sounds Hunt for Toys to Wash

Learning Upper and Lowercase Letters on the Sidewalk

Gross Motor Activity: Can You Move Like Baby Does?

Big Art Project for Toddlers: Ribbon Painting

A ‘Spy Game’ Scavenger Hunt

Bean Bag Toss as a Sight Word Game

A Race to Learn Phonics: A Hands on Mom Feature

Fly a Homemade and Recycled Kite!

Poppin’ Balloons!

Energetic Activity: Letter Sound Punch Game

It’s Playtime! Get Moving Indoors!

Counting Blocks While Building Towers

30 Days to Hands on Play : Playful Fun

30 Days to Hands on Play : Pretend Islands

Outdoor Activities : Yet to do this Fall

It’s Playtime! : Energy Busters

Outdoor Play : Scavenger Hunt

Free Play : Fabric

Letter Learning Activity with the ABC Mat!

Easter Egg Hunt

Activity Course with Balloons

Play a Game of Balloon Badminton with Your Toddler

Box Flap Bridges & an Experiment

Bubble Pop Road & More

A Valentine’s Day Activity or Two: Patterning & a Heart Hunt

Hey! I'm Jamie. I have 3 boys that are crazy energetic & we like to have fun!

Hands On As We Grow Newsletter

"It is hard to think of things to keep the 3 year old entertained and engaged while taking care of the baby. Everything we have tried so far from your website, the three year old has loved. Your ideas are so simple and he can do them for hours. HEAVEN!" - Karen I.
I am now one happy Dad!

"You have changed how I spend time with my kid in so many positive ways! I am now one happy dad that no longer wonders what I am going to do with this little guy for the next 12 hours :P Your site was this first time dad life saver!" - Jack C.
Hands On As We Grow Newsletter

"I feel like a new mama having so many fun ideas. I used to dread the afternoon, after naps, as it was so boring doing the same thing day after day but now I look forward to our "play" time!" - Haley S.
Free Activity Challenge

"Thank you so much for these activities. They have proven to me that I CAN be that mom that does cool and creative things with her kids! And those cool and creative things can actually be quite simple! What a revelation. Thank you!!" - Katie M.
Activity Plans eBooks

"This takes down the need to scour the internet for ideas. It's like looking for a recipe on the internet, so many options that often times it is less overwhelming to look in a book on the shelf than stress about too many options." Robyn G
So organized and easy to use.

I have found it impossible to Google ideas from a million different sites, get organized, shop for supplies, etc. This is exactly what I have been searching for! Thanks for making something so organized and easy to use. - Early Years Activity Plans User, Melissa C.
The Activity Room Member

"I absolutely love that this takes all the prep work out of engaging my children. It is so easy to just put up the calendar, and glance at it for inspiration when we are in a funk." - Rachel
Grateful to have activities handed to us...

"There's always something new for us to discover, as well as old favorites. I am so grateful to have activities handed to us... Fun and easy ones that can be put together in a moment's notice! You're awesome Jamie and I appreciate you sharing your activities and ideas!!" - Melissa C.