Balls in the Box

Materials You Need: A few balls of different sizes (these can be softballs that you have made from rolled-up socks or newspaper); a cardboard box bigger than the largest ball.

What You Can Do Together: Set up the game indoors (if balls are soft) or outdoors. Invite your child to try to throw a ball into the box. Begin by showing your child how to do it, and at first stand very close to the box. As your child gets better at throwing, challenge your child to move back further. Try this with different size balls. Your child will also enjoy doing this on their own. If your child is interested, you can also count how many times they can get the balls into the box.  

What Your Child is Learning: Your child is developing her physical skills in this and other games. Your child is learning how to control their movements to make accurate throws. Becoming more competent at this skill helps build your child’s self-confidence. If you add counting to the game, your child will also improve their early math abilities.