Broomstick Ride
What you need
- a kitchen broom
- a hat (any hat)
How to do it
- Pop a hat on your toddler first, any hat will do, and let them pull it on and push it straight.
- Pick a carpeted room with space to move and clear the toys off the floor.
- Pop the broom handle between your toddler's legs, with the broom head behind them and only a short bit of handle sticking out in front. Stay beside them and never let go of the broom head.
- Hold the broom head up off the floor yourself so the bristles can't catch their feet.
- Say 'Whoosh!' and fly round the room together, slowly at first, then a bit faster.
- Land with a big 'bump' and fly again.
- Hats off at the end: let them pull the hat off and pop it back in the dressing-up box.
Why it matters
Walking with a handle between their legs while steering round the room takes more balance and coordination than plain walking, and the whoosh turns it into a game.
What they're learning
- Coordination
- Keeping their legs moving with a handle between them makes both sides of the body work together.
- Balance
- Steering round corners while holding on shifts their weight from side to side.
- Pretend play
- Flying a broom with a whoosh is early make-believe, playing at being someone from a story.
What to look for
Watch how they hold the handle: two hands in front, one hand, or leaning on it. Any way works.
A tip
Carpet only, and give the broom a shake outside first. Dust and flying don't mix.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: let them hold the handle and walk beside it instead of riding
Harder: fly round a chair and back, turning at the end
