1–3 Years: Building Independence Through Movement

“I do it!”

If you have a toddler, you have probably heard this phrase many times.

And while those two little words can sometimes make everyday life a little more challenging, they represent something incredibly important. Your toddler is discovering independence.

Between one and three years, children make remarkable physical progress. Those first cautious steps become confident walking, then running. Climbing becomes a favourite pastime. Balls are kicked, thrown and chased. Stairs become something to conquer. And suddenly, your toddler wants to do everything for themselves.

This growing determination isn’t just about being strong-willed.

It’s part of healthy development.

Every climb, jump, push, pull, carry and tumble gives toddlers an opportunity to learn about their bodies, solve problems, practise new skills and discover what they can do.

From Walking to Running

At around one year old, many toddlers are beginning to walk independently.

But walking is only the beginning.

As strength, balance and coordination develop, toddlers gradually begin to:

• Walk faster
• Run
• Stop and start
• Change direction
• Walk backwards
• Climb steps
• Navigate uneven surfaces
• Carry objects while moving
• Kick and throw balls

These may look like simple physical skills, but they require the brain and body to work together.

A toddler running towards you has to coordinate their legs, maintain balance, judge where they are going and eventually work out how to stop. And stopping can take quite a bit of practice!

Running before mastering stopping is very much part of the toddler experience.

Climbing Everything in Sight

If your toddler suddenly seems determined to climb onto absolutely everything, you’re not alone.

Toddlers are natural explorers. A sofa becomes a mountain. A step becomes a challenge. A playground structure becomes an invitation. A pile of cushions becomes an obstacle course.

Climbing provides opportunities to develop strength, balance, coordination and body awareness. It also encourages children to work out how their bodies can move through space.

Should I put my foot here?

Can I reach that?

What happens if I move this way?

How can I get back down?

These are physical problems that toddlers are learning to solve through experience. Of course, toddlers don’t yet have an adult’s ability to judge risk, so supervision and age-appropriate environments are important. But safe opportunities to climb and explore can be incredibly valuable.

The Growing Sense of “I Can Do It”

One of the most exciting changes during toddlerhood is the development of independence.

Your toddler may suddenly want to:

• Climb into their car seat
• Put on their shoes
• Carry their own cup
• Feed themselves
• Tidy toys
• Push or pull objects
• Help with household tasks
• Walk rather than be carried

Sometimes these attempts take longer than simply doing something for them. But allowing children to participate gives them valuable opportunities to practise physical skills and build confidence. A toddler who insists on carrying their own small bag isn’t just being stubborn.

They’re practising strength, balance and coordination while also developing a sense of“I can do things for myself.”

Fine Motor Skills Are Growing Too

While gross motor development is very noticeable during the toddler years, important changes are happening in your child’s hands and fingers too.

Toddlers gradually become better at:

• Stacking blocks
• Turning pages
• Using a spoon
• Drinking from a cup
• Scribbling
• Completing simple puzzles
• Building towers
• Opening containers
• Manipulating small objects safely
• Beginning to use child-safe scissors with support

These skills may seem small compared with running or climbing, but they are building the foundations for future independence. Every time your toddler feeds themselves, turns a page or builds a tower, they are practising hand strength, coordination and control.

Why Toddlers Need to Move

Toddlers learn by doing. They don’t need to sit still while an adult explains how something works. They need to experience it. A toddler learns about balance by balancing. They learn about climbing by climbing. They learn about throwing by throwing. They learn about cause and effect by dropping something from the table for what feels like the hundredth time!

Active play provides opportunities for children to experiment with movement while developing their physical abilities.

Research also highlights connections between physical development and broader areas of learning and wellbeing, including attention, self-regulation, problem-solving and confidence.

For toddlers, movement is one of the ways they think, explore and make sense of the world.

Developing Body Awareness

As toddlers become more mobile, they’re also developing a better understanding of where their bodies are in relation to the world around them.

This is known asproprioception.

Proprioception helps us understand the position and movement of our bodies without having to look at every part of ourselves. Toddlers receive proprioceptive information when they:

• Push
• Pull
• Carry
• Crawl
• Climb
• Jump
• Squeeze
• Lift
• Carry objects

Think about a toddler pushing a large toy across the floor. They’re not thinking about proprioception. They’re simply having fun. But their brain is receiving information about force, movement, body position and effort.

Play gives children a natural way to develop body awareness.

The Importance of Trying Again

Toddlerhood isn’t always graceful. There are tumbles. There are bumps. There are attempts that don’t work. There are blocks that fall over and towers that collapse. There are balls that go in completely the wrong direction.

And there are plenty of frustrated cries of:

“I can’t!”

These moments are part of learning.

When children are given safe opportunities to try again, they begin to discover that not getting something right the first time doesn’t mean they can’t do it. They can adjust. They can practise. They can try another way. They can ask for help. And eventually, they may succeed.

This is where physical development begins to connect withresilience.

Let Them Try

As parents, our instinct is often to help. And sometimes children genuinely need our help.

But there are also moments when stepping back can give them an important opportunity to work something out themselves.

If your toddler is trying to climb over a low obstacle, you don’t necessarily need to lift them over it immediately. You might stay close, make sure the environment is safe and offer encouragement:

“You’ve got your foot there. What could you try next?”

The goal isn’t to make every challenge easy.

It’s to createsafe opportunities for children to experience challenge with support.

That is how confidence grows.

Movement Doesn’t Have to Look Like Exercise

For toddlers, exercise shouldn’t feel like exercise. It should feel like play. A walk to the park can become a climbing adventure. A cardboard box can become a tunnel. Cushions can become stepping stones. A kitchen dance party can become a coordination workout. Carrying toys into a basket can become a strengthening activity. Playing with a ball can develop throwing, kicking and tracking skills.

The more enjoyable movement feels, the more naturally children are likely to engage with it.

Play is the work of childhood.

Try This at Home

You don’t need expensive equipment to create meaningful movement opportunities.

Get outdoors

Parks, playgrounds and walks provide natural opportunities to run, climb, balance and explore different surfaces.

Let your toddler experience grass, sand, gentle slopes, stepping stones and safe playground equipment.

Create a simple obstacle course

Use cushions, blankets, tunnels or masking tape lines.

Can your toddler crawl under something?

Step over it?

Walk along the line?

Climb over a cushion?

Keep it playful rather than perfect.

Play with a ball

Roll a ball back and forth.

Kick it towards a target.

Throw it into a basket.

Chase it.

Ball play develops coordination while encouraging toddlers to understand direction, distance and force.

Encourage carrying and pushing

Let your toddler help carry lightweight objects or push a suitable toy.

These activities provide opportunities to develop strength and body awareness.

Encourage independence

Give your toddler time to try putting on shoes, feeding themselves, carrying their own cup or helping tidy away toys.

It might take longer.

But the learning is worth it.

Every Toddler Develops Differently

Toddlerhood can be one of the easiest times to compare children. One child is already running everywhere. Another is still finding their confidence. One toddler climbs fearlessly. Another prefers to keep both feet firmly on the ground. One loves balls. Another would rather build towers. These differences are normal.

Children develop skills at different rates and have different personalities, interests and experiences.

Rather than asking:

“Why isn’t my child doing what that child is doing?”

try asking:

“What is my child interested in learning right now?”

Then give them opportunities to explore it.

If your child consistently struggles with movement, loses skills they previously had, or you have concerns about their development, speak with your health visitor or GP.

Quick Milestone Guide: 1–3 Years

Remember:these are broad developmental guides rather than strict deadlines. Children develop at different rates.

The Little Gym Parent Reminder

Toddlers don’t need us to make every challenge disappear.

Sometimes they need us to stay close, keep them safe and let them try.

They may fall.

They may get frustrated.

They may try the same thing twenty times.

And then, suddenly…

They do it.

That moment of achievement can be incredibly powerful.

So when your toddler says:

“I can do it!”

Whenever it’s safe to do so, let them try.

Because every climb, jump, push, pull and attempt is helping them build something much bigger than a physical skill.

They’re building confidence in themselves.

From Movement to Independence

The toddler years are a remarkable period of transformation.

Your child is becoming stronger, more coordinated and more capable but they’re also becoming increasingly independent. Movement gives them opportunities to make choices, solve problems, experience challenge and discover their own abilities.

And those experiences matter.

Because somewhere between the first wobbly steps and the confident run across the playground, your toddler is beginning to develop a powerful belief:

“I can.”

And that belief can become one of the most important foundations for everything that comes next.

What’s Next?

As children move into the preschool years, their physical skills begin to combine in increasingly complex ways.

Running becomes jumping. Jumping becomes hopping. Climbing becomes balancing. Throwing becomes catching. And movement becomes an important part ofschool readiness.

In the next article inThe Little Gym Parent’s Guide to Physical Development, we’ll explore:

3–5 Years: Growing Confidence Through Play

We’ll look at how pres-choolers develop coordination, balance, fine motor control, movement planning and the physical foundations they need to feel confident as they approach school.

Sources & Further Reading

• Education Endowment Foundation. (2024).Physical Development.
• NHS. (2025).Best Start in Life: Early Learning and Development.
• Piaget, J. (1952).The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York: International Universities Press.
• Thelen, E. & Smith, L.B. (1994).A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.