Grade by Grade
Strands C and D: Self-Regulation and Well-Being; Belonging and Contributing · Me, My Feelings and My Community

Active Play: Moving My Body

C17.1 C17.2 C17.3 C18.1 C18.2 C18.3 C18.4 C16.1About 25 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can run, jump, hop, throw and catch.
  • I can balance and move in my own space without bumping.
  • I can use my small muscles to cut, pinch, button and build.
  • I can keep trying when a movement is hard.
  • I can play movement games with others and dance to music.

Words to know

big muscles
Muscles in your arms, legs and tummy that help you run, jump and climb.
small muscles
Muscles in your hands and fingers that help you draw, cut and button.
balance
Staying steady without falling over.
personal space
The bubble of space around your body.
keep trying
Not giving up when something is hard. Practice helps!
beat
The steady pulse in music that you can clap or march to.

Wiggle and jiggle!

Grown-up, read this part out loud.

Stand up! Shake your hands. Shake your feet. Wiggle your whole body!

Moving is fun, and it makes your heart strong, your muscles strong, and your brain ready to learn. Let's play!

Big muscle moves

Your big muscles are in your legs, arms and tummy. They help you:

  • run 🏃 and jump 🦘
  • hop on one foot and gallop like a horse 🐎
  • climb at the playground 🧗
  • throw, catch and kick a ball ⚽
  • skate, sled and build a snowman in winter ⛄
An empty colourful playground with a slide, a climbing wall and monkey bars on a sunny day.
A playground is a great place for big muscle moves: climbing, sliding, swinging on monkey bars and running. AI-generated image

Balance

Balance means staying steady.

  • Stand on one foot like a flamingo. 🦩 Can you count to 5?
  • Walk along a line like a tightrope walker.
  • Freeze like a statue in a funny shape!

My personal space bubble

Pretend there is a big bubble all around you. 🫧 Hold your arms out wide and turn around. That's your personal space.

When we move with other people, we keep our bubbles from popping. That means no bumping!

space
Two children, each in their own space bubble. Arms out wide, and there is still space between them.

Small muscle moves

Your small muscles are in your hands and fingers. They help you:

  • draw and colour 🖍️
  • cut with safety scissors ✂️
  • squeeze and pinch play dough
  • button, zip and do up Velcro
  • build with small blocks and string beads 📿
Big muscleslegs, arms, tummyrun, jump, climb, kickSmall muscleshands and fingerscrayonscissorsbuttondraw, cut, button, zip
Big muscles in your legs, arms and tummy help you run and jump. Small muscles in your hands and fingers help you draw, cut and do up buttons.

Keep trying!

Catching a ball, hopping, and cutting on a line are hard at first. That's okay!

Every time you try, your body learns. Say: "I can't do it... YET!"

Playing together and dancing

Some games are more fun together, like tag, follow the leader, or passing a ball in a circle. Good teammates take turns, play fair and cheer for each other.

Dancing is moving to music. You can move:

  • fast or slow 🐇🐢
  • high (on tiptoes) or low (close to the floor)
  • with big shapes (arms wide) or small shapes (curled up)
  • to the beat: clap, march or stomp along
Just for fun

What has four legs but can’t run, jump or hop?

A table! 🪑 Lucky for you, you can do all three.

Worked example

Let's learn to catch a ball

Catching is tricky! Let's do it step by step with a big, soft ball or a balloon. (Grown-ups: pick up any popped balloon pieces right away; they are a choking hazard.)

  1. Get ready: Stand with your feet apart. Hold your hands out in front, fingers spread, like a basket.
  2. Watch: Keep your eyes on the ball the whole time. 👀
  3. Reach: As the ball comes, reach your hands toward it.
  4. Squeeze: Bring the ball in to your tummy and hug it.
  5. Missed it? That's okay! Pick it up and try again. Stand a little closer if you need to.

Ready, watch, reach, squeeze. Using your eyes and hands together is called hand-eye coordination, and it gets better with practice.

Hands-on activity

Animal moves obstacle course

You need: pillows, a blanket, a chair or table, a rope or tape line, and some music.

  1. Hop like a bunny 🐇 to the pillow.
  2. Crawl like a bear 🐻 under the table.
  3. Walk like a tightrope walker along the tape line. Arms out for balance!
  4. Jump like a frog 🐸 over the pillow.
  5. Fly like a bird 🐦 around the chair.
  6. Freeze dance: Put on music. Dance! When the music stops, freeze in a shape. Try a big shape, then a small shape.

Now let you design the course for your grown-up!

Your turn

1

Stand on one foot and count to 5. Now try the other foot.

2

Hop 3 times on one foot.

3

Show me your personal space bubble. Turn around with your arms out wide.

4

Throw a soft ball (or rolled-up socks) to your grown-up. Then catch it when they throw it back.

5

Squeeze and pinch some play dough to make a snake, then a ball.

6

Clap along to a song. Can you clap to the beat?

7

Move like an animal: slow like a turtle 🐢, then fast like a rabbit 🐇.

More practice: warm-up

1

Jump up high 5 times!

2

Stretch up tall like a tree 🌲. Now curl up small like a ball.

3

Show me how you zip a coat or do up a button.

4

Walk on a line on the floor without stepping off.

5

Is moving good for your body?

More practice: on your own

1

Gallop around the room like a horse 🐎, without bumping into anything.

2

Crawl under a table, then step over a pillow, then walk around a chair.

3

Cut along a straight line drawn on paper with safety scissors.

4

Play follow the leader with your grown-up. Take turns being the leader.

5

You tried to catch the ball and dropped it 3 times. What can you say to yourself?

Challenge

1

Make up a dance with 3 moves: one high, one low, and one big shape. Do it to music!

2

Bounce a big ball and catch it 3 times in a row.

3

You are playing tag with friends and you get tagged. What does a good teammate do?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which one uses your big muscles?

2.

Which one uses your small muscles?

3.

Why do we keep our personal space bubble when we move?

4.

Catching a ball is hard. What should you do?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Children need daily active play to develop big-muscle (gross motor) and small-muscle (fine motor) control, balance, coordination and spatial awareness (C18). They also enjoy creative movement and daily activity (C17.1), keep trying when skills are hard (C17.2), play cooperatively in games (C17.3), and learn that moving helps both body and mind (C16.1). The next lesson, Movement Skills: Where and How I Move, adds directions, pathways, stretching and careful hand skills.

How much activity? Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years suggest children aged 3 to 4 get at least 180 minutes of physical activity spread through the day, including at least 60 minutes of energetic play. For children 5 and older, the guidelines suggest at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day, plus lots of light activity. Outdoor play in all seasons counts!

How to help at home:

  • Play outside every day you can: tag, climbing, tobogganing, puddle jumping.
  • Build small-muscle skills with play dough, tongs, stickers, Lego, threading pasta onto string, and tearing paper.
  • Use music for freeze dance and "move fast, move slow" games.
  • Praise effort: "You kept trying until you caught it!"

Common difficulties:

  • Gives up quickly. Make it easier (a bigger, softer ball; stand closer) so success comes fast, then make it harder.
  • Bumps into others. Practise the space bubble with arms out before games start.
  • Holds scissors or crayons awkwardly. Short, fun practice with play dough and tongs strengthens fingers. Mention lasting concerns to your child's educator.