You do not need anything fancy to introduce a toddler to the idea of gravity. A large tray with one side propped up makes a simple ramp, and rolling balls down it leads to all sorts of questions about why things move the way they do.
This activity often starts by accident. Tilt a tray, or prop one edge of a low table up on some books, and a curious toddler will quickly work out that a ball placed at the top rolls down to the bottom. From there you can turn it into a proper invitation to play.
Set the tray so one side is high and the others are low, then add a few empty cardboard tubes laid on the surface and a basket of small balls. The challenge is to roll a ball down the slope and try to get it to land inside one of the tubes. Aiming for the tubes adds a target to the play and keeps children coming back to try again.
As you play, you can talk about what is happening in simple words. Saying things like “what goes up must come down” and naming gravity plants the first seed of a big idea, even for a very young child. They will not need the science to enjoy it, but the language sticks. Try rolling balls of different sizes, or raising and lowering the slope, to see what changes.
What you need
- A large tray with one side propped up, or a low table tilted on books
- A few empty cardboard tubes or snack tubes
- A basket of small balls
This works well for toddlers and young preschoolers, roughly ages 1 to 3, and it grows with them as they start to predict and aim. For more cause-and-effect play with things that move, take a look at this DIY car track busy bag.