Cat & Mouse
Don't let the mouse get caught by the cat! Or maybe the mouse is out for revenge... A fun and imaginative game, Cat and Mouse helps young children develop ball tracking and handling skills. Good for all group sizes, and minimal equipment.
Set up
A small ball (e.g a tennis ball), and a larger ball (e.g a spiky ball) are used in this game. The children sit in a circle with nothing in their hands to start. Get creative with a story, for example, the cat is chasing the mouse, who is chasing a grasshopper.
How to play
Step 1
- Educator begins by passing one ball around the circle, the mouse
Step 2
- Educator adds a second ball to the circle, the cat, and builds a story:
- The hungry cat is chasing the mouse, quick!
- Children try to pass the balls around the circle quickly, to avoid the cat catching the mouse
Step 3
- Change directions, introduce soft tossing, or pass across the circle to keep children on their toes
- The activity ends when one ball catches the other
Variations
Make it easier
- Pass one ball around the circle
- Roll the ball along the ground
Make it harder
- Introduce a third ball - the grasshopper!
- Use smaller balls, that are harder to pass
- Have a ‘flying mouse' round, where children try to keep the balls up in the air
- Separate children further to encourage small underarm throwing
Activity information
Age: 2-3 years, 3-5 years
Participants: 4
+
Equipment: Balls
Duration: 10 minutes
Skill focus
Explore these skills for teaching tips
Skill teaching
To establish ball tracking skills, encourage children to:
- Keep their eyes on the ball
- Move their hands to the ball
- Use wriggly worms: fingers pointing down for balls being caught in their lap
Physical literacy tips
- Let a child call out the instructions, e.g change directions, the mouse is now chasing the cat
- Let the children decide who is chasing who! Create new animals or things for the balls to become