Movement recommendations for toddlers (1-3 years)
- Toddlers aged 1 to 2 need at least 3 hours spent in a variety of physical activities, including energetic play, spread throughout the day.
- Preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years need at least 3 hours spent in a variety of physical activities, of which at least 60 minutes is energetic play, spread throughout the day.
Fundamental movement skills
The fundamental movement skills are basic movement patterns that assist your child in competently participating in physical and recreational activities. For toddlers, the focus should be on laying the foundations for fundamental movement skills. Pre-fundamental movement skills include:
- 1 to 2 years: walking, catching, throwing and jumping
- 2 to 3 years: in addition to the above - balancing, stretching, climbing, running, as well as rolling and kicking a ball
Practising pre-fundamental movement skills will prepare your child for skill development and make them feel more confident when physically active. As your child grows up, the more confident they are in the fundamental movement skills, the more likely they are to be active and participate in sports and physical activity throughout their life. See Physical activity for more information.