Body & movement
Roll the ball
- Builds: Tracking and aiming
- 10 min
- Ages 1–3
- Calm
- No mess
From the house
- A soft ball, bigger than an orange
- A clear patch of floor
How to play
- Sit on the floor facing each other, legs wide apart, so your feet nearly touch.
- Roll the ball to them: “Ready, steady, roll!”
- They push it back to you with both hands.
- Scoot back a little each time to make the gap longer.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Sit close and roll it very slowly into their lap, and cheer when they just touch it.
- Harder: Stand up and kick it back gently, or kick a rolled-up sock between two shoes for a goal.
Words to use
- roll
- ball
- to you
- to me
- ready, steady
Why it helps
Watching the ball come and pushing it back to you trains their eyes and hands to work together, and it’s their first go at aiming.