Animal walks: the 6 actions
Walk like six animals across the room and back. The screen calls one action at a time and waits about twelve seconds before moving on, so nobody is rushed. Press pause whenever your child wants to keep doing one.
- Walk like a big slow bear on your hands and feet. हाथ-पैर पर बड़े धीमे भालू की तरह चलो।
- Now a crab: sit down, lift your tummy and walk sideways. अब केकड़ा: बैठो, पेट ऊपर उठाओ और बग़ल में चलो।
- Hop like a frog. Squat low, then jump! मेंढक की तरह उछलो। नीचे बैठो, फिर कूदो!
- Wriggle like a snake on your tummy. पेट के बल साँप की तरह रेंगो।
- Stamp like an elephant and swing your trunk. हाथी की तरह पैर पटको और सूँड़ घुमाओ।
- Waddle like a penguin with straight arms. सीधे हाथ रखकर पेंगुइन की तरह चलो।
Why this one is worth doing
Crawling, crab-walking and frog jumps build the shoulder and core strength that a child needs later to sit up at a table and hold a pencil. They also cross the middle of the body, which helps both sides of the brain work together.
Space and safety
Clear a arm's-length circle and move anything with a hard corner. Socks on a smooth floor are the commonest cause of a bump, so bare feet are better. Stop if your child is out of breath and cannot talk, and never turn a movement game into a competition between two children — it is the fastest way to make the smaller one give up on their own body.
How long, how often
Two or three minutes is a full session at this age, and several short bursts across a day beat one long one. Children aged three to five need about three hours of activity spread through the day, including an hour of the puffed-out kind; most of that comes from ordinary play, and this is here for the days when the weather or the flat says no.
Make it easier, make it harder
Easier: do it with them rather than watching, slow it right down, and drop any action that needs balance. A two-year-old copying you badly is getting the full benefit. Harder: add counting out loud, close the eyes, use the other hand or the other leg, or ask your child to call the actions for you. Being the one who gives the instructions is much harder than following them, and children love it.
More things to move to
There are 24 routines on the Move with Golu page: 2 animal walks, 3 stretches, 7 movement games, 5 action rhymes, 4 balance challenges and 3 slow calm-down routines. They also turn up as the "move" step inside Golu's Day, so your child meets a different one most days.
Now do it for real
When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🧼 Why we wash with soap — an easy science experiment for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need a plate of water, a pinch of black pepper or haldi, soap on one finger; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.
There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.