Ball Skills:

1. Start with a large ball.

2. Place the ball on the floor in front of your child and then stand about 3-5 feet away from your child. Encourage your child to kick the ball to you using one foot and then the other. If they can kick the ball when it isn’t moving, try kicking the ball gently back to them so that they can then kick it to you again. (Game ideas.. modified soccer)

3. Can have the child practice kicking or rolling a ball at a target. The target could be a large box lying on its side or several empty big, plastic soda bottles set up like bowling pens, etc.

4. Practice catching and throwing from 3-5 feet away. Make sure child is in “ready position” to catch. This means the child should be looking at you with their hands up in front of them ready to catch. You may need to show them the position. When they are ready, gently toss the ball to them underhand. As they become better at catching, you can move farther away from them. (Game ideas…1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 4...etc.; if playing with more than one child, have each child say the name of the person they are tossing the ball too)

5. Have child practice “basketball”. Have child try to toss overhand and underhand bean bags, soft toys, or small balls into a box, basket, or bucket (whatever you might have available).

6. Show your child how to bounce and catch a large ball and then have them try to do it.

Locomotion skills:

1. Jumping on two feet. Have your child try to jump up in the air and land on two feet. Child can also practice jumping off a low step or box. Child can jump forward like bunny on two feet. (Frog in the pond, Island jumping, hop scotch)

2. Hopping on one foot…show child what you want them to try and then see how they do. At first, you may need to hold the child’s hand for balance. (hop scotch)

3. Locomotion games: Place puzzle pieces about 5-8 feet away while puzzle board stays next to you and child. Ask child to run, jump, or hop to go get a puzzle piece and bring it back to put in the puzzle board. Can also do same thing with a couple of stuffed animals, bean bags or other toys. Have a contest to see who can run, jump, or hop and get the toys first. Other ideas include Touch and Go game, Run About)

4. Play “Simon says - do this.” Say those words and do an action that your child must copy. When you say “Simon says don’t do that” she must NOT do the action. Can mix in things like jumping, hopping, and galloping as well as pointing to body parts, clapping hands, etc.

5. To teach your child spatial relations. Ask your child to stand in front of a chair, behind a chair, next to the chair, on top of the chair and crouch under the chair. Can do this on a playground as well. Have them practice climbing ladders on a playground.

6. Tell your child that she must be your shadow and copy all your actions as you walk about and perform simple actions like walking on tip toes, walking backwards, jumping, hopping, running, etc.

7. Learn action songs and perform the actions as you sing them. Great action songs are ones like Hokey Pokey.

8. Ask your child to imitate the movement of different animals: creep like a snake, waddle like a duck, hop like a rabbit, gallop like a horse, etc.