Next Steps

• Start the Savvy Quiz

Core Skills for Movement

Click on the skills below to see what you can do at home to help your child develop essential art skills.

show all · hide all

• Stop and start movement at will (show details)

  Sample Core Knowledge Activities

  99 ¢

  Follow the Leader Expert Created Activity Support your child's physical attention and gross motor development with this Follow the Leader activity and suggestions.

  Sample Activities

  FREE		Homemade Obstacle Courses Parent Created Activity Using various household or backyard objects, develop a running, jumping, ducking course for children to run around in the backyard. The kids can have a race or run just ...more for fun! (less)
  FREE		Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkin Patch Parent Created Activity Have children find places in the room and crouch down to look like pumpkins. The adult begins by walking around the room saying: "Pumpkin Patch, pumpkin patch. Looking for a ...more pumpkin in a pumpkin patch. Here's one nice and fat, turn into a jack-o-lantern just like that!" The adult then stops and taps the child closest to her on the word "that." The child then gets up and joins adult by the hand and repeats the activity until all the children have been chosen. A fun, non-competitive game. (less)

  Sample Books and Toys

  $31.99		Toy	Hokey Pokey Musical Skirt You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself about...Motion activated, this musical skirt plays "The Hokey Pokey" as your little dancer moves. Layers of pink and purple tulle make ...more this a favorite dress-up item. (less) Review provided by Amazon
  FREE		Toy	Dive, Dodge 'n Slide Bouncer Spring into backyard fun with this large inflatable bouncer that promises hours of entertainment for kids. A crawl-through entrance, interior obstacles and double slide in front provide countless playtime options ...more for little ones. Ground stakes anchor the bouncer firmly in place, while a heavy-duty blower provides continuous airflow. Parents can feel good knowing that it's crafted from puncture-resistant material and has durable mesh netting. Includes ground stakes, heavy-duty blower with GFCI, repair kit and a handy storage bag. Measures 16'L x 7'D x 7'H. (less) Review provided by Amazon

  

• Use the body expressively (e.g., act out nursery rhyme, move to music) (show details)

  Sample Core Knowledge Activities

  99 ¢

  Acting Out Expert Created Activity

  Sample Activities

  FREE		Swinging Statues Parent Created Activity Best played outside, but can also be done indoors if you clear a big enough space. You are the 'sculptor' and your child will be the 'statue.' Gently ...more swing your child in circles (either by holding under their arms or just by holding hands) 2 or 3 times, calling out the name of an animal or object. When the sculptor lets go, the statue must come to rest in a position that looks like the animal or object and stay still. This is great to play with a group of children. Once all the statues have been spun off, you can pick a favorite and play again. Older children can take turns being the sculptor. (less)
  FREE		Freeze Dancing Parent Created Activity Turn on the radio or CD Player and start to dance with the kiddies. Then turn the music off randomly and surprise the kids by saying 'Freeze.' If ...more they don't freeze, they can be out or you can just continue to play without doing the elimination. With more kids the elimination works well and they have fun with it. Loads of laughs for a rainy day! (less)

  Sample Books and Toys

  $31.99		Toy	Hokey Pokey Musical Skirt You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself about...Motion activated, this musical skirt plays "The Hokey Pokey" as your little dancer moves. Layers of pink and purple tulle make ...more this a favorite dress-up item. (less) Review provided by Amazon
  $22.99		Toy	Cranium Hullabaloo DVD Game The Hullabaloo DVD Game turns your living room into a wiggly-giggly animal adventure! Kids learn about animals from all over the world and bounce, twist, and dance on the 16 ...more colorful play pads. Everyone will laugh at the surprises that fill each round! Introducing the new DVD version of two-time Game of the Year award winner, Hullabaloo. This DVD version of the 2003 Game of the Year includes stunning National Geographic animal footage and is sure to provide hours of endless fun. Hullabaloo DVD Game includes the Amazing Animal Adventure DVD and case, and 16 colorful play pads. (less) Review provided by Amazon

  

• Play group games (e.g., Duck Duck Goose, Musical Chairs, etc.) (show details)

  Sample Core Knowledge Activities

  99 ¢

  My own game Expert Created Activity Help your child to play group games with this path game board and game pieces. Make up new games for more fun!

  Sample Activities

  FREE		Freeze Tag Parent Created Activity A classic game that never grows old. One person is 'It' and he or she chases the other players in an attempt to tag them. When players are ...more tagged, they're frozen in place and can only be freed when another player crawls through their legs. The game gets hilarious when you try to crawl through your 4 year olds legs! (less)
  FREE		Mummy Wrap Parent Created Activity With a group of children, have the kids choose their delegate to become a mummy by wrapping him or her in toilet paper! Likely, they'll all want a turn ...more and then can chase each other around as mummies! (less)

  Sample Books and Toys

  $22.99		Toy	Cranium Hullabaloo DVD Game The Hullabaloo DVD Game turns your living room into a wiggly-giggly animal adventure! Kids learn about animals from all over the world and bounce, twist, and dance on the 16 ...more colorful play pads. Everyone will laugh at the surprises that fill each round! Introducing the new DVD version of two-time Game of the Year award winner, Hullabaloo. This DVD version of the 2003 Game of the Year includes stunning National Geographic animal footage and is sure to provide hours of endless fun. Hullabaloo DVD Game includes the Amazing Animal Adventure DVD and case, and 16 colorful play pads. (less) Review provided by Amazon
  $15.00		Toy	Hopscotch, Hangman, Hot Potato and Ha Ha Ha: A Rulebook of Children's Games

  

• Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination (e.g., throw or kick an object, play catch, ride a tricycle, swing) (show details)

  Sample Activities

  FREE		Balloon Ball Parent Created Activity Find a fairly large, open area of the house where your child won't be in danger of running into anything. Blow up a balloon and show your child how ...more to hit the balloon into the air with his/her hands. Try to hit the balloon back and forth, counting each successful hit. Or, simply hit the balloon to your child and challenge her to catch it...counting out loud each successful catch. Children who cannot yet catch a ball are thrilled to be able to catch the slower-moving balloon. (less)
  FREE		Left or Right? Parent Created Activity Teach your child left and right with this fun game! Call out a body part such as "left foot," "right shoulder," etc. and then toss a ball or balloon ...more to a player who tries to hit the ball with that body part. That's the only rule. No winners or losers...just fun! (less)

  Sample Books and Toys

  $29.99		Toy	Triple Hit Baseball What does a preschooler need in order to learn baseball besides a ball, a bat, and a very patient grown-up to toss him endless pitches? Well, nothing really. ...more But what he and his adoring (and tired) gorwn-up will want and love is this ingenious tee/pitching device from Fisher Price. This is one of those toys that truly grows with your child, keeping step with his or her developing skills. For the beginner, it works as a tee; for the "rookie" player, it offers pop-up pitches; and for the child who is ready for the next step, it turns into a veritable pitching machine. Any young player is bound to get hours and hours of fun for years on end out of this toy -- what more could we ask for? Well, maybe just a few extra balls so that we don't spend the rest of eternity chasing down the three included here (additional balls are available from the manufacturer, and wiffle balls, apparently, work too, so step up to the plate!). (less) Review provided by The Savvy Source
  $100.00		Toy	Scooter Skiddy For the many preschoolers who gaze longingly at the "big kids" whizzing by on their scooters, we have just the thing to make going to the park a whole new ...more kind of fun. Some of our Savvy kiddies have tested this scooter themselves, and report back that they want to take a turn on it "again" and "again" and "again!" Three sturdy wheels and a wide footplate make this a cinch to balance, even for youngest riders. And an adjustable handlebar means that as they grow in height, coordination, and confidence, our kids will be able to whiz along just as fast as they dreamed. (less) Review provided by The Savvy Source

  

• Gross motor skills (e.g., stand on one foot, fit inside cartons of different sizes, ascend and descend ladders and climbing structures, somersault, jump) (show details)

  Sample Core Knowledge Activities

  99 ¢

  Clown Man Expert Created Activity Support your child's gross motor skills as you move and freeze to the music, imitating the clown postures.

  Sample Activities

  FREE		Off to the Races (Indoors)! Parent Created Activity Create an obstacle course with masking tape on the floor around various things inside your house. For example, you can have your kids crawl through big cardboard boxes, climb ...more onto the couch, crawl to the end of the couch and then jump down onto a stack of pillows, then race over to a spot for stacking a set of blocks into a tower, and so on. (less)
  FREE		Melting Candles Tag Parent Created Activity My son plays this at school - a different version of the traditional 'Freeze Tag.' One player is chosen as 'It,' and chases the other players in an attempt ...more to tag them. When tagged, you freeze in place with your arms above your head (fingers touching) and begin to 'melt' like a candle, slowly sinking your body to the ground. Other players can free you by touching you. But if you melt completely to the ground without being freed, you become 'It.' This is good version for younger children since the person who is 'It' changes frequently. (less)

  Sample Books and Toys

  $31.99		Toy	Hokey Pokey Musical Skirt You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself about...Motion activated, this musical skirt plays "The Hokey Pokey" as your little dancer moves. Layers of pink and purple tulle make ...more this a favorite dress-up item. (less) Review provided by Amazon
  FREE		Toy	Dive, Dodge 'n Slide Bouncer Spring into backyard fun with this large inflatable bouncer that promises hours of entertainment for kids. A crawl-through entrance, interior obstacles and double slide in front provide countless playtime options ...more for little ones. Ground stakes anchor the bouncer firmly in place, while a heavy-duty blower provides continuous airflow. Parents can feel good knowing that it's crafted from puncture-resistant material and has durable mesh netting. Includes ground stakes, heavy-duty blower with GFCI, repair kit and a handy storage bag. Measures 16'L x 7'D x 7'H. (less) Review provided by Amazon