Try These Activities to Encourage Walking
Walking is a 12-15 month motor milestone, so you may see Baby’s first steps after their first birthday.
From furniture cruising to push toys, there are so many fun ways to get Baby up and walking!
Always stay close to Baby and remove tripping hazards when practicing these walking activities to prevent injury.
Walking is an exciting motor milestone! Baby typically takes their first steps around their first birthday, but you may see it anywhere from 12-15 months. So how can you make this milestone more fun? Here are some easy exercises to help Baby walk!
7 Simple and Effective Activities to Promote Walking
These toddler walking development activities are great to add to Baby’s daily play routine! Always supervise Baby when trying these activities, and make sure to clear possible tripping hazards before play.
1. Cruise along furniture
Cruising is side stepping while holding on to something. You can encourage Baby to walk, or cruise, along something that is close to their height, like a couch base. Safety tip: Make sure Baby is holding on to something sturdy that will not tip. Because Baby is just getting the hang of things they may fall, so make sure they are surrounded by soft surfaces!
2. Support Baby’s trunk
In Baby’s early days of walking and standing they’ll be a little unsteady. Rather than holding their hands, it may be more helpful to Baby if you support their trunk. Put your hands around their ribs since that is a better area to stabilize to provide more support to the spine/trunk. It is expected for Baby to fall at this age, as they will just be getting the hang of things. Here’s what to do if Baby falls.
3. Give Baby something to hold onto
As Baby stands more, they may grab you and other items for support. If you want to encourage them to take steps without support, try keeping their hands full! With something small in their hands, they may try walking without support. Try a small egg shaker, a small toy, small stuffed animals, or a favorite toy they won’t want to let go of!
4. Encourage them with toys
Baby loves toys! Use them to give them a reason to walk over to you. Tease them with toys just out of reach, so they have to find a way to come closer to you.
5. Reach up and down
Rather than just thinking forward, try to get Baby to reach up and down! You can do this by putting a toy up high, like on a couch cushion or on top of a box, or use something like bubbles or balloons, which float upwards. For reaching down, you can put toys on the ground. Note that Baby may not learn to squat to pick up objects until 15-18 months, so reaching may be easier in the beginning.
6. Set up a scavenger hunt
Another way to motivate Baby to walk is by setting up a hunt around the house. Place toys around the house so Baby has to search for them. You may need to support their trunk or have them cruise along furniture to walk far distances. Safety tip: Always join Baby on their hunt!
7. Introduce Push Toys
Try a push toy to help Baby walk! Push toys may look like lawnmowers or carts, and will motivate Baby to stand and take steps with some support. At first, you may need to help slow down the toy either with your hands or by adding weight since Baby won’t be able to control if it is lightweight.
With these toys, it's important to watch out for toe-walking. If you see Baby start doing this, stick to a weighted cart toy—such as a mini shopping cart with books added to the basket. Weighted push toys are great for two reasons: putting heavy stuff in the basket can slow it down and Baby has to use their core even more to move it forward!
Safety note: a push toy is different from a baby walker. The AAP strongly urges parents to not use baby walkers. A baby walker typically has a “seat” for Baby as they use their feet to move around. They can be a safety risk and lead to dangerous falls. They also do not aid in baby’s development. Instead, look for a push toy where Baby’s feet are on the ground, supporting their weight.
With daily practice and your support, Baby will get the hang of walking on their own, one step at a time! If you have any concerns about your toddler reaching this motor milestone by 15 months, talk to their healthcare provider. Happy walking!
Once Baby masters walking independently, try these gross motor activities for more fun ways to practice motor skills!
