Advice and resources : Throwing and catching balls

Overview

Some children struggle with throwing and catching balls but this doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a developmental problem.

There’s lots of easy ways you can help your child to improve before you need to think about asking for help.

How you can help

There are a lot of games and activities you can try, including:

• Sitting close to your child and rolling a large ball towards them to catch. As they become more confident, you can start using smaller balls over longer distances.
• Asking your child to throw balls and beanbags into a large bucket that’s close to them. As they become more confident, you can start using smaller buckets over longer distances.
• Asking your child to roll a ball towards some lightweight skittles (or between two objects if you don’t have any skittles) and then catching it when you roll it back. As they become more confident, you can move the skittles further away.
• Playing games that include bouncing a ball to the front and to the side, and asking your child to catch it with both hands. This will help them to judge where a ball will land.

If your child has motor planning difficulties, they will find it hard to anticipate the various places where a ball may reach them. This is even harder when the speed of the ball doesn't give them time to coordinate their movements. Games which include bounces to the front or side and which require two-handed catches will give them the opportunity to practice.

When to ask for help

If you’ve tried all of these techniques and you’re still not seeing any improvement after four months, please do speak to your health visitor or GP.