by Alice Liley, TumbleTots Worthing
Movement is one of the many ways babies and young children start to understand the world around them. Think about a baby rolling all the way over for the first time, or a preschooler jumping around with excitement. These moments aren’t just cute, they’re important steps in your child’s development. As parents, we have the joy of cheering them on as they master the basics and gradually build skills like balance, climbing and agility. These skills don’t just help them stay healthy, they also help with thinking, learning, managing feelings and making friends.
It’s good to remember that every child moves in their own way and at their own pace. Some babies might crawl early, others might take their time. What matters most is giving them lots of relaxed and engaging chances to play and spaces to try new things, so they can build confidence and learn new skills whilst having fun with you.
Agility might sound like a skill reserved for athletes, but in reality, it is simply about moving with control and adapting to new situations. Babies begin by crawling, then cruising and then walking. Children build their agility by learning to adapt their skills – crawling under tables, climbing over cushions and reacting to the space around them. Games like chase, dancing or dodging obstacles helps them to get better at moving as well as teaching them how to play with others as they grow.
Balance is fundamental to physical development. Babies start working on balance as soon as they learn to sit up and roll. As they grow, playing on uneven ground, stepping over toys or kicking a ball all help build their core muscles and balance. Letting your child play and move on their own, without holding their hand too tightly, helps them trust their bodies and become more independent in balance.
Climbing is another valuable way to develop strength and problem-solving skills. Whether your child is pulling up on the couch, climbing stairs or exploring a playground, they’re learning to plan their moves and judge distances. The goal isn’t always to climb the highest, but to let your child try new challenges independently that fit their abilities. You can help by giving them safe places to climb on their own, starting with simple things and moving up as they get stronger.
When babies and young children are moving, whether they’re rolling, crawling or walking, they’re getting feedback from all their senses. They feel where their body is, look around to judge how far things are, and learn by trial and error. This helps them figure out how to control their bodies, which is important for future skills like getting dressed, writing and team sports. You can help by making sure their clothes and play spaces let them move easily. Soft mats to roll on, bare feet as much as possible and plenty of room to explore can all make a big difference.
Every child benefits from opportunities to move and explore, regardless of their abilities or background. Creating welcoming environments, offering choices and focusing on what your child can do helps build a positive and inclusive experience.
Early movement also plays a key role in brain development, laying the foundations for future learning, hobbies and even careers. Each new movement is an opportunity to experiment, make mistakes and try again. Building resilience and self-esteem along the way.
Movement is also a powerful way for children to connect with others. Playing games, chasing friends and joining group activities teaches cooperation, turn taking and social skills. When movement is fun and accessible for all, children are more likely to share their games, explore together and discover the fun in shared activities.
When children feel safe and supported, they are more willing to try new things. Respecting their comfort zones while allowing them to take the lead helps build independence and confidence. In the early years, movement shapes how children grow, learn and see themselves.
By encouraging skills like balance, agility and climbing, you are helping your child develop into a confident and resilient person. The best thing you can offer is a wide range of opportunities to move and play, creating a strong foundation for a happy, healthy future.
Booking Tumble Tots Worthing classes helps your child build confidence, coordination, social skills and fitness while having fun in a safe environment together.
To find out more please visit www.tumbletots.com/worthing
It starts the minute you arrive at the venue. The staff and volunteers all have bright eyes and wide grins that actually look genuine, the café or kiosk is serving Christmas-themed cookies and cupcakes and Christmas pudding flavoured ice-cream. The bar is serving large glasses of everything, including delicious mulled wine. The smell of excited anticipation is everywhere.
If every opportunity is seized, there is wonderful scope for creating a powerful cross-curricular approach to developing a show. By learning about the literature, history, art, music, and dance that surrounds a story, we cultivate an appreciation for traditions, beliefs, design and stagecraft. As part of the preparations for our school’s recent production of The Lion King this term, the girls studied the patterns, designs and colours used in African prints before creating their own designs for fabrics, masks and marketing materials. They studied each character in the script and crafted symbols and emblems to represent them; meticulously forming links between characters who were related or belonged to the same group. Later, these were hand printed onto fabrics using block printing techniques so that they could finally be made into the cast’s costumes. Through workshops with external educators, they learnt about the importance and significance of symbolism in Adinkra printing; the rhythms and collective energy used in African drumming; and the storytelling techniques, as well as traditional movements, that can be generated through dance. We focused on the importance of recycling materials and made masks and props out of plastic milk bottles. This process was amazing – our girls were captivated by the transformation achieved with these simple objects. In addition to this, by singing songs in African dialects, we enhanced our understanding and appreciation of sounds and languages. The opportunities for extending the students’ learning through stimulating and interlinked topics are boundless.
