Laundry basket ball

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Age
3-5 years
Child Development
Vocabulary (number, letter recognition); counting and addition; measurement; drawing and writing
Equipment
Paper balls, sponge balls, or soft toys
Laundry baskets
Something to mark a line to throw from (e.g. chalk, rope, cones)
Physical Activity

Developing movement skills (throwing, eye-hand coordination)

How to Play
  1. Read “Dunking” to introduce the game.
    1. DUNKING by Dennis Lee

      ALLEY-alley-oop
      To the basketball hoop;
      Dunk it like a donut
      With a holler and a whoop!
       
  2. Place baskets against a wall or fence. Have the children stand behind a line a few metres from the baskets. Give each child several balls or soft objects to throw.
  3. Demonstrate for the children how to underarm or overarm throw the ball so that it bounces off the wall and into the basket.
  4. When all the balls are thrown, have the children hop or skip to the basket to collect them. Go again.
Change it up / Alternatives / Additional Options
  • Have the children turn their backs to the wall and toss the ball over their head.
  • Invite the children to invent different ways to toss the ball at the wall, e.g., between their legs.
  • Conduct an experiment to see which is easier:
  • Throwing directly into a basket placed in open space (away from a wall) or bounced off the wall (as in How to Play).
  • For the experiment:
    • Make sure the throwing distances are the same.
    • Have each child make ten throws; five against the wall and five at the basket in open space.
    • Before they throw, invite each child to predict where they will score the most. Encourage children to keep a written tally; then check their prediction. Talk about the results.
  • Invite the children to invent a different experiment and test it.
Notes

How to: Stand side on; make a star; point your finger, throw it far.

If you don’t have a clear wall to throw against, you can hang a curtain or sheet over a bookcase or cupboard to serve as the backboard.

Excerpt from the HOP Early Learning Practitioners Resource (Decode Literacy Solutions)