Not every baby crawls the same way. There’s the booty-scooter, who uses his hands to push themselves across the floor; the commando crawler, who makes you wonder if she was in the military in a past life; even the rebellious roller, who eschews that hands-and-knees nonsense to straight up roll wherever he wants to go. There’s nothing wrong with any of these styles, and in fact, learning a few variations can help improve a baby’s gross and fine motor skills as they learn to work different muscle groups.
That’s what makes movement teacher Dionne Simone Kamara’s “Animal Activity,” shown in the video above, so ingenious. In just 3 minutes’ time, she takes you and your kids through a variety of poses and movements (all set to a surprisingly infectious song). Throughout the video, your kids will pretend to be a caterpillar, fish, lizard, puppy, bear and grown-up. Each move gets a little more advanced, ending with marching back and forth, so if your child isn’t quite walking yet, go as far as you can and come back to it later.
And, if you’re looking for even more creative ways to entertain and educate your kids, check out Union Square Play. The New York-based children’s club is offering all of its online content for free right now, with regular activities and classes uploaded daily.
