Early years activity: Ball bonanza
Physical activity is essential for good health and well-being and the activity ideas below are designed to support children’s gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination and confidence through a range of high energy ball games, offering lots of fun.
Ball bonanza learning aims
- Develop fine and gross motor skills
- Support mental well-being
- Develop vocabulary
- Join in team games
- Follow instructions.
Resources you will need for this activity
See individual activities.
Ball bonanza activity outline
Ready, Steady, Throw!
- Tape
- Soft balls
- Timer.
Divide a large space (preferably outdoors) into two areas, using tape. Divide up your group into two teams, this could be an adult versus a group of children or two groups of children, with one group on each half of the space. Add equal amounts of soft balls to each half and explain the aim is to have the LEAST balls in your space when the time is up. Model throwing the balls into the other half. Set a timer (according to the children’s development stage and interest level) and ready, steady, throw!
Obstacle Course
- Furniture or resources from within your environment.
With the children, create an obstacle course, with opportunities for a range of movements, including up, down, over, through etc. Once you have mapped out the course, introduce medium sized balls. Ask children to hold their ball as they navigate through the course. Model how they can roll a ball through a tunnel, bounce a ball on a specific spot etc.
Ball Chase
- Different sized balls
- Tape.
Use the tape to mark out a start and finish line. Ask children if they think they can stop the ball before it reaches the finish line. Model standing on the starting line, as an adult rolls the ball across the start line and chases the ball to catch it, before it crosses the line. Invite children to try both rolling and chasing the ball. Experiment with different distances and methods of moving the ball.
How to extend this activity
Provide a selection of balls in your outdoor area and model ball games the children can play alone or in groups.
NDNA products to support you with this activity
Physical activity in the early years – online course
PANCo – training
Start Life Well – well-being programme
Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.
- Activity
- MyNDNA
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