16mo–2.2y10 minActive playFree playFamily time

Snake Slither Speed Trail

A playful movement-and-language game where you talk with your child about how their body moves (squirm, slither, twist) and try quick/slow/tiptoe changes, finishing with a brief calming finger-trace ‘snake trail’ (optionally turning a page in a board book).

What you'll need

Essentials

a clear floor space (carpet or smooth floor)
a towel, blanket, or scarf (to make a ‘snake path’)

Nice to have

masking tape (to mark a simple path)
a tray/plate with a thin layer of flour or sugar (for supervised finger tracing)
a small board/picture book (for one calm page-turn at the end)

Movement level: mild

What you'll do

The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.

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What this develops

What it practices

Turns pages in a book, sometimes several at once.
Observable behaviour from Development Matters

Where it comes from

Framework: Early Years Foundation Stage (England)
Source: Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
Original guidance: “Talk to children about their movements and help them to explore new ways of moving, such as squirming, slithering and twisting along the ground like a snake, and moving quickly, slowly or on tiptoe.”
License: Open Government Licence v3.0