Bat Wing Flap

What you need

• two scarves or small blankets

How to do it

1. Lay a scarf or a small blanket over your own shoulders, hold a corner in each hand and flap your arms like big bat wings.
2. Hand your toddler the other one and let them pull it on over their shoulders, a corner in each hand. Help it sit straight if it slips.
3. Sing 'Flap, flap, little bat' to the tune of 'Twinkle, Twinkle' and flap round the room together.
4. Stop and fold your wings in when the song stops, then fly again.
5. At the end, let them shrug their wings off and hand them to you, then pull them on again for one more flight.

Why it matters

Holding on and flapping both arms at once is big, whole-body coordination, and moving to a song helps them feel a beat.

What they're learning

Arm strength

Lifting and flapping both arms works the shoulders, the same muscles used to reach up and climb.

Rhythm

Flapping along to a song is an early feel for a beat.

Stop and go

Folding their wings in when the song stops asks them to listen and control their body at the same time.

What to look for

Watch whether they flap both arms together or one at a time. Both count as wings.

A tip

Pick a scarf or blanket small enough that it doesn't trail on the floor, so the flying doesn't turn into tripping.

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