#GrossMotorChallenge Activity 1 - Ball Target

Items you will need:

• Balls

• Target

• Timer

Gather anything you can use as a target. You could use a piece of paper taped to the side of the house or blanket, etc. ⁣

⁣⁣⁣Grab a container of balls or objects that can be thrown safely at the target. You could also use bean bags, tennis balls etc, whatever you have. ⁣

⁣⁣⁣Set your timer for one minute and see how many balls your child can hit the target with. ⁣

⁣⁣One thing I will note, we did end up raising the target so that it was more in line with their eyes. So when you set up your target, keep that in mind with your child’s height. ⁣

⁣⁣My kids really enjoyed this one and they played it multiple times. ⁣

⁣⁣This activity is a great way to warm up the upper extremities (arms), as well as visual-motor practice, motor planning, and so many great skills. ⁣

#GrossMotorChallenge Activity 2 - Ball Drop Relay Race

Items you will need:

• Bin of balls

• An empty bin or container

• Timer

For this activity, set the bin of balls at one end of your area and the empty bin on the opposite side. Leave enough space between the bins so that you child can run between them while carrying the balls.

The object is to get as many balls as you can from the full container to the empty one. They have 1 minute to see how many they can get. We also set the rule that if any balls fell out of their arms or did not make it into the container they did not count. But you could adapt these rules to fit your child's abilities.

When the timer goes off, have them count how many balls they were able to get into the empty container.

This activity is a fun one for motor planning, endurance, and visual-motor skills.

#GrossMotorChallenge Activity 3 - Animal Hops

You don't need anything for this activity other than your timer!

Pick an animal that hops (frog, kangaroo, rabbit etc), and see how many hops your child can make in a minute.

Have them imitate which ever animal they choose for the hops.

You can adapt this to where they can hop around a room or the yard. Or see how many hops they can make while staying in the same spot. If they need a visual for where to stay, mark the spot with a piece of tape or a spot marker.

Also, if your child needs a visual prompt, join in the fun yourself and show them how to hop like the animal they chose.

For even more fun, have them make the animal noise that goes with the animal they chose as they hop.

This is a great activity for bilateral coordination, motor planning, and endurance.