Gross motor development, Fine motor development
A toddler practices underhand throwing with individualized support.
Be Prepared: This activity is for a toddler who would benefit from individualized support for underhand throwing, a motor skill introduced in activity plans for younger toddlers (12–24 months). See Option 2 for overhand throwing.
Place empty, clean, milk jugs on the floor about two inches apart as a target in an open play area. Toddler-size bowling pins or soft blocks also may be used as a target. Place the balls in the basket and put the basket about three feet from the jugs.
Invite one toddler at a time to play a throwing game with you, using a ball that is easy for the toddler to grip (typically four inches). Demonstrate and describe an underhand throw: stand with ball in hand and facing the milk jugs, look at the milk jugs, swing arm back and then forward, let go of the ball when moving arm forward.
Invite the toddler to try. Kneel next to the toddler about three feet from the target. Offer reminders of each step. Demonstrate again, if appropriate. Enthusiastically acknowledge the toddler’s efforts with the throwing, not whether a milk jug is knocked down.
Throwing a ball is a complex motor task that involves coordinated use of large and small muscles, including eye-hand coordination. Ball throwing also involves motor planning, a cognitive task of thinking about a set of physical movements. Structured throwing activities are a beneficial way for toddlers to increase upper body strength, hand-eye coordination, and body awareness.
Underhand throwing was introduced in Blocks 10 and 16 activity plans for younger toddlers (12–24 months). Balls and other throwing play materials are provided indoors only during a supervised throwing activity.
Look for ways to tailor your support of the toddler’s ball-throwing attempts. Toddlers differ considerably in their ball-throwing experiences and skill.
Extra support
Enrichment
Gross motor development, Fine motor development
A toddler explores overhand ball throwing.
Be Prepared: Gather 5–7 lightweight balls for indoor use. Be sure each ball is small enough for a toddler to grasp in one hand. Place the balls in the basket. Arrange the fabric on the floor as a large target, about three feet from the basket of balls. The fabric serves as pretend water. Leave folds and an uneven surface in the fabric to help prevent the balls from rolling away. You may wish to use beanbags or rolled-up adult socks instead of balls.
[Invite a toddler to join you in throwing balls into a pretend lake.]
Let’s pretend our blue fabric is a small lake. We have some small balls that we can throw into our pretend lake.
[Point to the pretend lake and to the basket of balls as you describe each.]
We can try throwing a ball by moving our arm and hand up. Let me show you how we could throw the ball today.
[Position yourself near the basket of balls, about three feet from the fabric.
Demonstrate and describe a gentle overhand throw. Emphasize the following sequence: We stand in front of the pretend lake and always keep our eyes on the lake. We move our arm up to bring the ball near our ear, we move our arm forward, and we let go of the ball. Explain that we use our whole body when we throw a ball.
Encourage the toddler to choose one ball from the basket and hold it in his/her hand. It may be helpful for the toddler to hear you repeat the sequence as he/she tries an overhand throw: move the ball near our ear by moving our arm up, move our arm forward, and let go of the ball as our arm moves forward.
Draw attention to how the ball moves away from the toddler when he/she moves arm forward. This is often motivating to a toddler, especially when dropping a ball is a toddler’s main experience with balls.
Demonstrate again, if appropriate. Offer verbal support for what to do. Example: “Tyler, your ball dropped down by your feet. Try again to let go of the ball when your arm is moving forward.”
Positively acknowledge the toddler’s specific efforts rather than offering a general “good job.” Examples: “Christina, you put the ball by your ear and pushed it forward. Your ball flew through the air and landed in the water!” “Great. You threw the ball forward. It is close to the water.”]
Today we practiced throwing a ball into pretend water. We remembered to move our arm up so we could put the ball near our ear. We let go of our balls while our arm was moving forward. Our balls moved through the air to our pretend water. We used our eyes to watch the water.
The current activity builds on ball-throwing activities offered in ELM’s activity plans for younger toddlers (12–24 months), including Blocks 10 and 16. The activities for younger toddlers mostly focus on underhand throwing, which is generally easier for toddlers to do than overhand throwing. Of course, young children’s experiences with ball throwing are not limited to organized activities. Many children enjoy playing with balls during play times, and some families involve their young children in early sports activities.
A wide range of ball-throwing experiences across toddlers in your room underscores the importance of adapting the current activity. The one-to-one configuration supports adaptations. Some toddlers may prefer to throw underhand. Some may need guidance on when to let go of the ball. Some may benefit from repeated demonstrations of moving the arm forward. Many will need reminders about looking at the pretend water.
It is not necessary to count the number of balls a toddler throws.
Extra support
Enrichment
Gross motor development, Fine motor development
Toddlers practice overhand ball throwing at a large target.
Be Prepared: This activity is for toddlers who have experience with overhand ball throwing through participation in Option 2 or a similar activity. The activity option may be easily broadened to embrace both overhand and underhand throwing. However, it is not a good option for introducing a toddler to overhand or underhand throwing. See Option 2 for individualized support for overhand ball throwing. See Option 1 in the current activity plan or Blocks 10 and 16 for younger toddlers (12–24 months) for support for underhand throwing.
Affix the shower curtain in an outdoor area or in a gross motor play area. In an outdoor space, affix the curtain to a fence with clothespins. Fasten all corners. In an indoor space, a tension rod in a corner of the room is often a good option. The curtain and rod can be taken down easily. Place the balls in the basket or a pail. Consider affixing a large picture to the curtain as a smaller target or using a curtain that has large images that can serve as specific targets on the curtain.
Invite 2–4 toddlers to throw balls at the curtain, one at a time. Open the activity by reminding toddlers of how we throw overhand (and underhand, if appropriate). Demonstrate and describe an overhand throw. Emphasize the importance of standing and facing the curtain. Remind toddlers that we move our arm up and we let go of the ball when our arm is moving forward.
Encourage toddlers to stand about three feet away from the curtain. Provide a simple turn-taking method. Example: “Natalie throws a ball. Next, Ryan throws a ball.” Point to each child and restate the order. “First Natalie, then Ryan.” At this age, toddlers are not expected to take turns without adult guidance.
Determine and describe a method for retrieving thrown balls, such as after all balls have been thrown or after each ball is thrown. Be clear about who picks up a thrown ball(s) and the importance of standing away from the curtain when it is another toddler’s turn to throw. Offer verbal support for the specific sequence of ball throwing as appropriate. Acknowledge each toddler’s efforts.
Use the motor skills and interests of toddlers in your room to determine whether this practice activity focuses on overhand throwing or both overhand and underhand. It is easy to make the activity inclusive of both underhand and overhand throwing by demonstrating and describing each at the beginning of the activity. Offer to play a ball-rolling game with toddlers who seem interested but reluctant to participate in the ball-throwing activity. Avoid comparing how toddlers throw the ball. Acknowledge all forms of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: cardboard mailing tubes; 12 small balls, such as ping-pong balls, that will easily go through the tube; basket
Attach several cardboard tubes to a flat surface at toddler eye level. Place one of the tubes at a slight angle. Place a basket with the small balls near the tubes. Toddlers will enjoy experimenting with the balls and tubes.
Materials Needed: soft balls, laundry basket, ping-pong balls, cardboard mailing tubes, hula-hoop, cushion
In addition to offering an appropriate option for toddlers in your setting, provide balls for other children to explore with supervision. Mobile infants will enjoy a simple game of passing a ball back and forth to you. Sit close to a mobile infant and roll the ball to him/her. A walking infant will enjoy carrying a small ball, such as sock balls. Some toddlers may enjoy a game of carrying a ball and dropping it into a laundry basket. A fun eye-hand game is to use ping-pong balls on a tabletop and pass them back and forth using a mailing tube. Place a barrier along the edge of the table to prevent a ball from rolling onto the floor. Preschool-age and older children may enjoy having several targets for sock-ball throwing; such as a laundry basket, a hula-hoop, or a cushion.
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