4 early gravity lessons

They drop it, you pick it up; they drop it again, you pick it up again. There is nothing toddlers love more than learning about gravity. Gravity is one of the foundational cause-and-effect sequences that explains why something falls.

Here are some fun early gravity experiments for your budding explorer:

Sliding and Rolling

Start with an incline, like a slide at the park or a piece of stiff cardboard propped against the edge of the couch. Give your toddler various objects to roll or slide down, like the Opposites Balls, wadded up paper, a wooden car, and even something that won’t slide, like a banana. You can say “let’s see which one slides (or rolls) the fastest!”

Some things fall faster than others (because of air resistance)

Hold your toddler while you’re standing and have them drop—one by one—an inflated balloon, a flat sheet of paper, and a crumpled up piece of paper a crayon, a handful of pom poms, or anything else you can think of that is easy to pick up. Then talk about how some things fall faster than others, because lighter objects are more affected by the air around them and take longer to hit the ground. Be ready for your toddler to want to do this over and over again 😁

Up in the air

Outside or in a room with some space, toss a soft ball up into the air and watch together as it falls down again, saying “first it goes up, then it goes down.” If you’re outside, you can fill a container with water and empty it into the air to show your toddler how liquids are affected by gravity.

Projectiles

Toss clothespins into a large bowl, bucket, or laundry basket, experimenting with different distances. Practice dropping at first before moving on to tossing, making sure the container is close enough and large enough for them to be successful. 

The Thinker Play Kit

The Thinker Play Kit encourages your 11 – 12 month old baby’s curiosity as they start solving problems, working on hand strength and investigating everything in their path.

Learn more