Be Prepared: Secure balls that differ in size, with several requiring two hands to hold or manipulate, and balls with different textures, including a ball that can be easily squeezed with one hand. Place the balls in the basket or container that you keep next to you during the activity.

Invite a toddler to sit on the floor across from you to look at and play with different kinds of balls. Take one ball from the basket that is next to you and give it to the toddler to hold and feel. Use the following strategies to encourage the toddler to pay attention to characteristics of a ball:

• Encourage the toddler to feel the bumps on a texture ball. Invite the toddler to use two hands to squeeze together a ball that squeezes.
• Use two hands to offer a bigger ball. Emphasize how we use two hands to hold the ball. Invite the toddler to try holding the larger ball with one hand and then holding the ball with two hands. Talk about how two hands make it easier to hold a larger ball.
• Offer two contrasting types of balls together as follows: (1) Use two hands to hand a larger ball to the toddler, and then use one hand to hand a smaller ball to the toddler. Describe the balls as bigger and smaller. Point out how we use two hands to hold a bigger ball and one hand to hold a smaller ball. Encourage the toddler to hold (not only look at) each ball, one at a time. Encourage the toddler to return the balls to you. (2) Use one hand to offer a texture ball and then one hand to offer a smooth ball. Encourage the toddler to feel each with one hand at a time or maybe one hand per ball at the same time. Emphasize how the two balls feel different.
• Invite the toddler to roll or give (not throw) the ball(s) to you after he/ she is done exploring it. Put the returned ball(s) in the basket next to you.
• At the conclusion of the activity, emphasize how there are different kinds of balls. Describe several balls that seemed to be of particular interest to the toddler.

Be Prepared: Place all balls in one of the larger containers. Put the container with balls in a location that is easy for a toddler to walk to from the location where you position yourself during the activity. Put the empty container next to you.

Invite a toddler to join you at the basket with the balls in it. Invite the toddler to look at the balls with you. Describe basic characteristics of the balls emphasized in Option 1—larger ball, smaller ball, ball that we can squeeze, ball that has bumps. Avoid using colors to describe the balls. Point to the empty basket that is nearby. Explain that you would like the toddler to help you put some of the balls in the empty basket. You will sit near the empty basket. Describe a ball for the toddler to take out of the basket of balls and carry to the empty basket. Move to the empty basket or accompany the toddler to the empty basket while he/she carries the ball, if appropriate.

Comment on how the toddler is carrying the balls. Examples: “You are using both hands to carry the bigger ball.” “You have one ball in each of your hands!” Describe how the toddler is putting the ball in our empty basket. Describe again the key characteristic of the ball. Thank the toddler for carrying a ball to the basket near you. Invite the toddler to walk to the basket that contains the balls and get another ball. Describe the type ball you would like the toddler to carry to the basket near you. Example: “There is a larger ball in the basket. Please get the larger ball and carry it to the basket near me.”

Repeat the process until all balls are in the basket near you or the toddler loses interest. Conclude the activity with an enthusiastic description of the toddler’s efforts.