Bravery takes practice, especially when trying something new like riding a slide. This play plan gives your toddler the space to observe, explore, and build the confidence to try at their own pace. There’s no pressure here; just gentle encouragement, repetition, and trust in their process.
Ready, set, slide: Encourage early gross motor learning with a side of self-trust.
About This Play Plan:
This play plan helps you support your toddler’s gross motor development and self-confidence by introducing the slide in a calm, playful, and pressure-free way. Using a book, ball play, and a toddler-safe climbing structure, your child is encouraged to observe, explore, and eventually try the slide at their own pace: building strength, coordination, and courage one step at a time. Inspired by Pikler-aligned principles, the focus is on trusting your child’s timing and celebrating every effort, no matter how small.
Introducing the slide as part of your toddler’s play environment encourages natural gross motor development, confidence, and body awareness, core goals in both the Pikler approach and current research. Allowing children to explore movement in their own time without pressure helps build strength, coordination, and emotional resilience. Encouraging your child to try the slide, even through small steps like observing or placing a ball at the top, supports their autonomy while gently expanding their movement experiences in a safe, respectful way.
How to Use This Plan:
- Gather Your Materials: Check the list below for everything you’ll need.
- Follow the 5E Tabs: Each tab provides step-by-step guidance, creative ideas, and reflection prompts to make the experience more meaningful.
- Let Your Child Lead: Observe how your child interacts with the materials and adjust based on their interests and developmental stage.
Spark your child’s curiosity:
Start by reading together books that showcase a child or main character riding on a slide, such as Max and Nana Go to the Park.
Keep your tone warm and positive, and exaggerate your reading style for playful phrases. Say “up, up, up!” or stretch out “slide doooown!” with enthusiasm.
This makes the story more engaging and helps your toddler associate the slide with fun, even if there are little bumps along the way.
Encourage hands-on exploration:
Let your toddler explore toys with a slide feature, such as Lovevery’s Slide & Seek Ball Run.
Show how the balls go down the slide.
Encourage them to try placing the balls themselves. This hands-on activity introduces the idea of sliding and builds their confidence through repetition.
Provide simple, age-appropriate explanations:
When they’re ready, bring your toddler’s attention to a real slide that’s suitable to their size and age, such as a slide attachment on a Pikler triangle.
Tap the slide and say, “Slide!” to identify it.
Let them touch it or sit near it.
Demonstrate how a stuffie goes down the slide, then invite your toddler to place it on themselves. Say something like “Ready, set, go!” to keep it playful.
Expand on the activity:
Encourage small steps. You might say, “You can climb one step,” or “Want me to hold your hand while you try?”
Even just touching the slide or putting a foot on the first rung is progress.
Celebrate small efforts and keep the experience playful. Use familiar language to describe what’s happening: “You’re climbing!” or “Sliding fast!” This helps connect words to actions and feelings.
Screen-Okay Option: You can also show a short, toddler-friendly video of children around the same age riding a slide. Narrate simply: “That baby’s sliding—just like yours!” Watching peers helps normalize the movement and builds confidence.
Real-Life Option: Take your toddler to a nearby park to watch other children use the slide. Point them out gently and say, “Look, that boy’s climbing… now he slides down!” Observing real kids having fun can spark curiosity and reduce hesitation when it’s their turn to try.
Reflect on how your child responded to the play:
- Did they show interest in the slide or climb a little higher than before?
- Did they watch you closely or smile during the ball activity?
- Did they attempt any new gross motor movement (touching, climbing, scooting)?
- Did they seem proud or excited after trying something new?
- Are they more confident around the Pikler than before?
Confidence doesn’t show up overnight; it grows little by little through movement, curiosity, and the freedom to try things in their own way. As your child learns to face the slide, even with hesitation, they’re building courage that carries into other challenges. And as they climb, balance, and slide, they’re also strengthening essential gross motor skills that lay the foundation for physical confidence, coordination, and active play throughout childhood.
Materials List:
- Lovevery’s Max and Nana Go to the Park board book (or any book featuring a slide and playground experiences)
- Pikler triangle with slide attachment (or any toddler-safe climbing structure with a slide)
- Lovevery’s Slide and Seek Ball Run and balls (or any toy with a slide feature)
- A stuffie or doll
- Optional: Short toddler-friendly video of young children riding a slide
- Optional: Visit to a local park to observe other kids using the slide in real life
Tips for the Grown-Ups:
Follow the Child’s Lead:
Observe how your child interacts with the playthings. Let them guide the session by following their interests. If they show a preference for exploring textures, sounds, or colors, embrace it. Be a silent observer, ready to expand their learning with gentle, supportive language.
Create a Calm, Inviting Space:
Set up a clutter-free area that encourages focused exploration. Use natural light and simple setups to inspire curiosity. If the weather permits, take the play outside for a richer sensory experience, connecting with the natural world.
Encourage Open-Ended Play:
Embrace imaginative twists and unexpected uses for the toys. If the activity takes a surprising turn, celebrate this as a sign of growing cognitive flexibility and problem-solving.
Our Own Play Experience
I still remember my first time on a slide. It was terrifying.
My mom sat me down on a wooden one and encouraged me to go for it. She wanted me to be brave, and over time, the playground became a space where I grew more confident and independent. I truly believe those early moments of courage shaped who I became.
Now, I hope to give our daughter that same sense of confidence.
At 14 months, she’s too small for most playground slides, though you can tell she’s curious. She watches older kids climb and slide with wide eyes. Since we spend most days in our apartment, I got her a Pikler triangle with a slide attachment so she can explore gross motor play regularly.
She hasn’t climbed the triangle yet, and the slide still feels a bit intimidating. So one afternoon, after reading Max and Nana Go to the Park, we started with something familiar: her Slide & Seek Ball Run, which she’s loved since her birthday.
The next day, I brought out one of her favorite stuffies, Sergeant Baa, and showed her how it could go down the slide. She was hooked. And that’s when we discovered she understands the phrase “go.” I’d say, “Ready, set…” and she’d gleefully finish with “go!”
After a few rounds of sending Sergeant Baa down, she surprised us by trying the slide herself… climbing up from the bottom and scooching down slowly. She didn’t climb over the triangle yet, but she was no longer afraid. It’s a small step, but a brave one. We can’t wait to take her to the park again and see how she reacts to the big kid slides.
Please Note: I am a proud Lovevery subscriber and fan, and many of the play plans shared here feature Lovevery playthings. However, this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lovevery. All ideas and recommendations are my own, based on my experiences as a mom who values meaningful, play-based learning.
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