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Find the Tallest Stairs

Climb different stairways in your neighborhood, remember how each one felt, and compare their heights. Repeated climbs turn a familiar outing into a whole-body challenge.

  • 2 years
  • No prep needed
  • Neighborhood
  • About 15 minutes
Focus
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Developmental benefits

  • Movement：Climbing steps gives your child practice shifting their weight, coordinating their body, and building leg strength.
  • Cognitive：Completing one stairway and choosing a taller one gives your child experience using a recent success to persist with a new challenge.

Preparation

What You’ll Need

Step 1

Climb Step by Step

Find a stairway in your neighborhood and invite your child to climb one step at a time. If they are still learning, hold their hand or support them at the waist to help with balance. Notice each section they complete and encourage them to keep going.

What to notice

  • Lifts a foot onto a step with your support Gross Motor
  • Keeps climbing one step at a time until reaching the top Cognitive Self-Regulation (Executive Functioning)

Tips

  • Count the steps or sing a simple climbing chant, such as “Step, step, up we go,” to add rhythm and fun.
  • Give specific encouragement after a section: “You climbed all three steps.”
  • Let your child use the railing while you support their balance at the waist as needed.
  • Climbing steps engages the legs while also challenging whole-body coordination and balance.

Step 2

Which Stairway Was Taller?

After one stairway, climb a second one. Pause and remember both together. Ask which was taller and which was shorter.

What to notice

  • Recalls and tells you which of two stairways was taller Memory
  • Shares something about the stairway they just climbed Communicating and Speaking

Tips

  • Model simple comparison words such as “tall” and “short,” then give your child a turn to describe the stairways.
  • Crouch to your child’s eye level and point toward each stairway as you compare them.
  • Prompt memory with a specific clue: “Do you remember the stairs beside the big tree?”
  • Talk about how each climb felt—quick, long, easy, or tiring—and connect that experience with the height comparison.

Step 3

Try the Tallest One

If your child still wants to climb, look for a taller stairway and take on the new challenge together. If they slow down, recall a stairway they already completed and offer support. At the top, clap together and celebrate finishing.

What to notice

  • Looks for another stairway to continue the challenge Cognitive Self-Regulation (Executive Functioning)
  • Looks at how the view changes after climbing the stairs Gross Motor

Tips

  • Specific, timely encouragement can support #SE-SIB and help your child feel proud of completing the challenge.
  • When your child calls a stairway tall or short, look at it together and let them check their idea.
  • Recall a recent success: “You climbed the shorter one. Let’s try this one together.”
  • If your child remains eager, keep exploring and compare another stairway.

Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026