22/08/2026
💪 Cross Crawls in Action! 🧠
Over the past few weeks we have been practising cross crawls a couple of times each week as part of our movement experiences.
Cross crawls involve moving one side of the body across to the opposite side – for example, touching your right hand to your left knee, then your left hand to your right knee.
It looks simple, but it gives our little bodies and brains lots to work on! Cross crawls can help support:
✨ Coordination and balance
✨ Body awareness
✨ Crossing the midline
✨ Concentration and following instructions
✨ Bilateral coordination - using both sides of the body together
✨ Gross motor development
We are becoming more confident each time we practise, and it has been lovely watching the children slow their movements down, concentrate and work out which hand needs to meet which knee.
A simple little movement activity with lots of learning happening along the way! 🥰
Some of the most useful classroom activities are the ones that wake the body up and organise the mind at the same time.
Crossover Marching is one of those brain break activities.
Children march on the spot, bringing one knee up while the opposite hand reaches across to meet it. Right hand to left knee. Left hand to right knee. Start slow enough for the pattern to feel successful, then build the pace for a short burst before slowing it down again.
From an Exercise Physiology point of view, this is doing a lot more than it looks.
Children are practising cross body coordination, weight shifting, single leg balance, trunk control and motor planning, all while lightly lifting their heart rate. That combination matters because some children do better when a movement break gives them both physical activation and a clear movement pattern to organise.
It is also easy to scale. A child who finds crossing midline tricky can begin with same side hand to knee. A child who needs more stability can hold the back of a chair with one hand and alternate the knee lift. A child ready for more challenge can drive the elbow toward the opposite knee or change speed on cue.
This is the kind of movement break I love because it is achievable in a real classroom, but there is strong developmental purpose sitting underneath it.
Tomorrow I would pair it with something much softer like Spaghetti Arms, so the body gets both the wake up and the wind down.
If your school or kindergarten team would like movement ideas that are practical, purposeful and grounded in child development, reach out to me about a Play Move Improve webinar or workshop. Save this one, or send it to a teacher who wants movement breaks to feel more intentional.
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