One of our favorite books that encourages movement is From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. It’s filled with animal actions for kiddos to imitate, making it a fun and engaging way to:
- strengthen big muscles,
- learn new vocabulary,
- work on coordination, balance, and following directions.
Kiddos work to replicate the movements each animal can do.
This interactive book guarantees lots of giggles ? and it gets even sillier when family and friends join in!
This book is great for ages 2-5 years. Coco, on the right is 2.5, while Kaylee, her big cousin, is 5. It helps to have a big kid demonstrate!
The movements in the book are simple, but each gets slightly more complex as you progress throughout the book.
Walk Tip: One great way to extend play and movement is to encourage the kiddos to come up with their own animal actions.
- You can say, “What other animals can you think of?”
- Or, you can help them with more specific examples (e.g., “What about a bear crawl?”). Here, Mr. Jack is demonstrating his Penguin Walk.
Some examples of other animal walks or actions:
- Penguin Walk
- Bear Crawl
- Crab Walk
- Bunny Hops
- Snake Slithers
- Froggy Jumps
Check below to find this book, as well as the Spanish version on Amazon. Looking for more books that encourage movement? “Ten Tiny Toes” by Caroline Jane Church. This is a great book for movement and body awareness for kiddos 3 and under. Check here to see more books we love.
Perform activities recommended by Walk, Talk, Play at your own risk with appropriate adult supervision provided. Walk, Talk, Play is not responsible for any injury caused while performing these play activities.
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