There is likely to be a wide range of gross motor skills within your group due to differences in age and development. This activity may appear simple, but it involves many cognitive skills related to perception and reasoning that are integral to motor development. These skills include judging:

• when to reach for the approaching ball,
• how to hold hands in relation to the size of the ball,
• which direction to push the ball, and
• how much force to use in pushing the ball.

Pay attention to each one of these skills as a toddler pushes and catches a ball with you. Focus on an aspect that seems most challenging. You may wish to use a larger ball, for example, if hand grip is a persistent challenge. A simple reminder of where to push the ball may help a toddler focus on the appropriate direction. Determining the amount of force to use in pushing a ball takes time to develop. Using two hands (versus one) hand will probably increase the force. At this young age, repeated experience in pushing a ball is likely to lead to awareness of how the amount of force in a push is linked to how far the ball rolls. There is a parallel cause-and-effect discovery for toddlers to make in using their hands to flatten play dough (pushing harder makes the dough flatter).

In addition to the motor and related cognitive skills cited above, look for ways to foster a positive social interaction with the toddler as you cooperate in rolling a ball back and forth. The back-and-forth pattern of interaction in this activity is also an emerging part of children’s play with peers.

Extra support

• Move closer to the toddler.
• Increase or decrease the speed of the ball so the toddler can be successful with a catch.
• Involve another adult in the activity so you (or the other adult) can kneel next to the toddler to provide support and guidance about where to throw a ball or soft items.
• If a toddler becomes distracted, describe the toddler’s behavior. Examples: “I see you are watching Jake and Trina. Would you like to finish our game?” “I see you are finished playing for now. You are carrying the ball to the bin.”

Enrichment

• Provide balls of different sizes, colors, textures, and softness to sustain interest in the activity.

This activity adds challenge to the Option 1 activity by involving turn-taking with several peers and providing a clearer way to explore how the force of a push leads to the length of a roll and whether a block is knocked over. It is important to emphasize the process of pushing the ball, how a push makes the ball roll, and how the amount of force used to push the ball is linked to how far the ball rolls and whether it knocks down a block. There will be differences across toddlers in whether their ball knocks over a block, of course. The important potential learning in this activity is why a ball does or does not knock over a block. Avoid comments that suggest some toddlers’ pushes are more successful than others, and establish a lighthearted tone for the activity so toddlers can freely focus on their experiences in manipulating a ball.

Skill in turn-taking takes time and experience to develop. It is unlikely that most toddlers who participate in this activity will independently engage in turn-taking as part of pushing a ball. It is important to consistently provide information on who is to push and who is wait, as suggested in the activity description.

Some toddlers may be interested in throwing a ball at the blocks, but the current activity is focused on pushing the ball with enough force so it rolls and maybe knocks down a block. Throwing a ball is a different set of skills and experiences.

Extra support

• Decrease the space between toddlers and the blocks to increase the chance of hitting a block.
• Add more blocks to increase chances to tip them over.
• Use toddler’s names with information about who is to push a ball and who is to wait. Be clear about what the turn involves. Example: “It is Taylor’s turn to push the ball” (versus “It is Taylor’s turn.”).
• Use a basket or box to hold the balls when they are not to be pushed, rather than asking a toddler to hold his/her ball and wait.
• Ask a toddler who is waiting for a turn to push his/her ball to stand close to you.
• If guided turn-taking is not effective, add more blocks and set them up so two children may roll balls at the same time.

Enrichment

• Provide different sizes of balls and encourage toddlers to compare how they roll when pushed.

The opportunity to move around while manipulating a ball offers new opportunities for toddlers to explore their actions with a ball. Toddlers may practice picking up a ball from the floor, regaining their balance, and walking with an object. The provision of large containers also adds novelty to the activity. Some toddlers may spend their time dropping their ball in a basket or moving their ball from one basket to another. Transporting items from one area to another area of a room is of keen interest to children of this age. Doing so without dropping the item may be especially challenging for some toddlers. And, of course, the open-ended nature of the experience supports child-initiated exploration.

Observing and talking with a toddler about his/her ball play helps toddlers focus and persist in a task, such as putting a ball into a box and taking it back out. It is also helpful to demonstrate in this open-ended context how to roll a ball. A toddler may appreciate your help in determining a target of the roll.

Thinking about a motor action and then doing the action is called motor planning. Fostering motor planning in early years can help a toddler develop a solid foundation for later motor skills.

Extra support

• The open-ended quality of the activity may introduce a challenge for some toddlers. Provide suggestions of what to do if a toddler seems uncertain about how to proceed. Offer reminder demonstrations and/or verbal support for actions with a ball previously done in more structured activities such as rolling a ball back and forth (Option 1).

Enrichment

• Provide balls of different colors and sizes.