What You Need

Painter's Masking Tape (any width) – usually sold in either blue or purple color

Tape Shapes Preparation

Tape a Floor Level Balance Beam - Tape one or more lines or shapes on the floor to create a floor level balance beam, which is simply a line on the floor for preschoolers to walk on. A good length for a taped floor level balance beam is between 5 and 6 feet.

Floor Balance Beam Options -

Line - Straight Line, Zig-Zag Line, Wavy Line

Width - 1 Strip of Tape or 2 Strips of Tape placed 2, 3 or 4 inches apart

Shapes – Tape a large shape on the floor. Preschoolers will be able to walk on the taped lines that make the outline of the shape and be able to walk around the shape over and over. Tape a square, an octagon, a triangle.

Balance Beam Tape Shapes for Groups

For Individuals – only one taped floor balance beam will be needed, but you can tape as many as you would like to.

For Groups – With groups or classroom, you have a few options

One Line for Each Preschooler – Tape as many lines as you have preschoolers. You can tape a variety of lines and after doing a few of the activities, preschoolers can move to a different line.

Example - if you have 8 preschoolers, you might tape

3 Straight Lines

3 Wavy Lines

2 Zig-Zag Lines

Several Large Shapes – Depending on the size of the shapes, 2 or 3 preschoolers can use one shape and both walk in the same direction.

Example – if you have 8 preschoolers, you might tape

2 Large Squares

1 Large Octagon

1 Large Triangle

One Giant Tape Shape

Tape one giant square in the center or a few feet away from the wall all around the room. Preschoolers can walk on the tape in one direction all at the same time to do balance activities.

Fitness Activities with Tape Shapes

Print or copy these instructions as cues to movement activities for preschoolers. Use your own ideas too, especially those that work with a unit of study for preschool classrooms.

1. Walk on the tape with one foot in front of the other.

2. Walk on the tape with one foot in front of the other and put down your heel first and then your toe – walk heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe.

3. Walk on tip-toes on the tape.

4. Walk in giant steps on the tape.

5. Squat and walk on the tape like a duck.

6. Turn sideways and walk on the tape.

7. Walk backwards on the tape.

8. Stand on your tip-toes and turn in the opposite direction.

9. Squat down and turn in the opposite direction.

Adapt Balance Beams on the Floor for Outdoors

Use the same concepts in this activity, but use sidewalk chalk to create the balance beam lines and shapes.

More Activities with Tape Shapes – Balance Beams on the Floor

Add bean bags or bean bag animals to this activity and you're ready for Bean Bag Balance Activities, another fitness activity at PreschoolRock.com.

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Helpful Tips for Parents

• Set up permanent physical activity invitations in the backyard or play area: a balance beam, stepping stones, a low climbing structure, a tire swing. Permanent setups encourage daily use.

• Dance is one of the most complete physical activities for preschoolers: it develops bilateral coordination, rhythm, balance, spatial awareness, and emotional expression simultaneously.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should preschoolers do structured exercise or free play for physical development?

Unstructured physical play — running, climbing, jumping, rolling, chasing — is more developmentally beneficial for preschoolers than structured exercise programs. Free play allows children to follow their physical inclinations, take self-regulated risks, and develop the full range of movement patterns that structured programs don't always include. Adult-led physical games (tag, relay races, dance) provide variety and social structure. The ideal physical day includes both: a foundation of free physical play with periodic adult-facilitated games.

Related reading: See also our dance party activities and our swimming and water safety guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• ⚖️ Balance & Coordination — Activities that challenge balance — hopping on one foot, walking a line, navigating obstacles — develop the vestibular and proprioceptive systems that underlie all coordinated physical movement.
• 💪 Strength Building — Age-appropriate strength challenges — climbing, pushing, carrying, and holding body weight — build the muscle development that children need for endurance, injury resistance, and the hand strength that fine motor tasks require.
• 😌 Emotional Regulation — Physical activity is one of the most effective emotional regulation tools available to preschoolers — vigorous movement releases stress hormones and resets the nervous system for calm, focused engagement with other tasks.
• 🧠 Brain-Body Connection — Research consistently shows that physical activity directly improves concentration, working memory, and academic readiness — making fitness time one of the highest-return educational investments in a preschooler's day.

by Kelly Pfeiffer

Fitness is simple when all you need is tape. Preschoolers will develop balance and movement skills walking on and around safe level balance beams on the floor. Create balance beams of all shapes and sizes on the floor with painter's masking tape. Let preschoolers explore balance and follow directions for balance challenges.