Laundry Basket Haul: illustration of a toddler doing the activity

Laundry Basket Haul

from 14 months · 5-10 min · Gross motor

Physical DevelopmentPersonal, Social and Emotional Development

What you need

  • Laundry basket
  • Soft toys or towels

How to do it

  1. Fill a laundry basket partway with soft toys or rolled towels.
  2. Ask your toddler to carry or drag it from one room to another.
  3. Cheer when it arrives and let them dump it out to start again.

Why it matters

Carrying a heavy, awkward load builds the whole-body strength and balance toddlers use for walking, squatting, and lifting.

What they're learning

Whole-body strength
Dragging a loaded basket builds the leg and back power toddlers later use to carry a school bag or lift a full watering can.
Problem-solving
Figuring out whether to push, pull, or drag the basket is early trial-and-error thinking, the same instinct they'll use jiggling a stuck puzzle piece into place.
Task follow-through
Carrying the basket all the way to the other room builds the stick-with-it habit behind finishing a meal or a chore later on.

What to look for

Watch for them switching strategy — dragging instead of carrying — once lifting gets too hard.

A tip

Weight the basket with towels, not toys with corners, so a tip-over doesn't end in tears or a scavenger hunt under the sofa.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: Use an empty basket with just one toy inside

Harder: Add a low doorway threshold or turn along the way

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Gross motor activities · Activities for 1 year olds · Activities for 18 month olds · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a basket · Toddler activities with a towel