All Types of Catching

Set Up:

• Spread the markers out in your designated area
• Have different balls and beanbags ready in separate buckets/bags

Description:

Each player starts on a marker with a bouncy ball each. They see how many bounce and catches they can do in a row.

• Sitting down each child gets a beanbag and sees how many times they can throw in air and catch it.
• Standing each child gets a scarf beanbag and sees how many times they can catch it.
• Standing each child gets a normal beanbag and tries to catch it after dropping it off their head.
• Standing each child gets a soft foam ball and tries to throw it up and catch it.
• Standing each child moves ball around their waist 5 times, around their head 5 times and a figure of eight through their legs 5 times

Ask children questions:

• What object is easier to catch?
• What is the hardest?
• Which parts of your body do you catch with?
• Where do you look when you are catching?

Variations:

• Depending on the skill level of your group start very easy by rolling ball in partners between each other, this encourages tracking of the ball
• Change shapes and sizes of ball
• Add more difficult challenges – throw in air, turn around and catch ball, throw in air clap hands and catch ball
• Can turn it into a game by playing ‘Simon Says’

Teaching Points:

• Watch the ball
• Soft fingers, big hands
• Thumbs together and up (butterfly hands) for balls above waist and fingers pointing down (wriggly worms) for balls below waist
• Reach out for the ball and catch with two hands