8mo–20mo12 minActive playFree playFamily time
Soft-Play Shuffle: Crawl, Roll, Climb
A simple at-home soft-play course where the adult changes the arrangement of cushions, blankets, and toys to encourage crawling, tumbling, rolling, and climbing—while also supporting hand use for reaching, steadying, grasping, and carrying.
What you'll need
Essentials
- 3–5 cushions/pillows (or folded blankets)
- a clear floor space
- 2–3 favorite toys to place as ‘stations’
Nice to have
- a large cardboard box (as a tunnel) or two chairs with a blanket over for a tunnel
- a laundry basket to ‘post’ toys into 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.
What this develops
- MilestoneCrawls or scoots for floor mobilityBody· 7mo–12mo· core· Step 2
- MilestoneRolls over independentlyBody· 5mo–10mo· stretch· Step 3
- MilestoneClimbs onto furniture with helpBody· 15mo–2.5y· stretch· Step 4
- MilestoneReaches for nearby objectsBody· 4mo–11mo· core
- MilestonePuts object into containerBody· 9mo–12mo· core· Step 4
- MilestoneHolds one object in each handBody· 4mo–10mo· stretch
- MilestoneBangs two held objects togetherBody· 8mo–10mo· stretch
What it practices
- Pulls to standing, holding on to furniture or person for support.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Holds an object in each hand and brings them together in the middle, e.g. holds two blocks and bangs them together.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Picks up small objects between thumb and fingers.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Provide different arrangements of toys and soft play materials to encourage crawling, tumbling, rolling and climbing.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)