Age-by-Age Adaptations

Most movement activities can be adapted to work well for younger, older, or even mixed-age groups.

Babies

• Provide an open, safe-play surface for babies to move around freely.
• Put age-appropriate materials on a blanket with babies and encourage little ones to reach for, grab, roll over toward, or crawl to the objects.
• Hold a baby while you sing and move to the beat. Invite other children to dance along!
• Place babies on their backs and slowly, gently move their arms or legs to mimic some of the moves that other children are doing, like marching or pretending to be a bird.

School-Age

• Kids love being “helpers,” so ask them to help set up activities or be a younger child’s buddy or “teacher.”
• Invite them to demonstrate their physical skills (such as jumping, kicking, throwing, and catching) to younger children. This can boost older children’s confidence while motivating the younger ones.
• Challenge older kids to keep moving longer than younger ones, who enjoy shorter bursts of activity.
• Ask older children to take on jobs such as leading an activity or making up a new game.
• Have them help set up a safe indoor or outdoor obstacle course for younger children.
• If there are several older children, have them make up a dance to perform for everyone else.