Snow Balls

Age
3-5 years
Child Development
Counting; understanding of different states of water (ice, snow, water)
Equipment
Space
Paper
Hoops
Physical Activity

Eye/hand co-ordination

Movement control and strength

How to Play
  1. The children scrunch up the paper into balls. These are their ‘snow balls’.
  2. Have the children line up and throw their snow balls into some hoops laid out on the ground.
  3. After they have thrown, the children run and collect all the snow balls as quickly as they can before the snow balls all ‘melt’. Count how many ‘snow balls’ there are.
  4. As well as throwing the ‘snow balls’ forward, see if they can throw the ‘snow balls’ up in the air and catch it.
Change it up / Alternatives / Additional Options
  • Place ‘snow balls’ in the centre of a parachute or large blanket. Wave the parachute/blanket up and down and make a ‘snow storm’.
  • Fill up a pillow case with scrunched-up newspaper. Draw a face on it (snowman). The children take turns to roll a large ball at the snowman to knock him over.
  • Make some footprints and lay them out on the floor. The children have to follow the footprints to find the snowman.
  • Dance like snowflakes – twist and turn around the room.
  • For a child with a disability that limits their throwing or locomotor skills, provide a larger, closer target for them to aim for.
  • For anyone that may be sensitive to the texture of the paper, have other options available for them to throw, such as bean bags.
  • For a child with a visual impairment, provide a ball or object that makes noise as it moves.

Adapted from: Do and Discover – Government of Wales