High Kneeling Ball Activity

Hi friends! Here is my first blog post with an idea for an activity you can easily do at home. I am home with my 3 kids. I have a 2nd grader (age 8) and 2 preschoolers (ages 3 and almost 5). The activities I post will easily be adapted for children ages 3-10 and I will give suggestions on how you can do that at home. One of our biggest struggles since we have been home is balancing screen time with school work. So many of the suggestions sent our way have been related to school work on the computer. While it is incredible the amount of resources available to us online, I have struggled with limiting screen time at my house. My hope is to send you ideas that will not include or will limit using a screen to complete.

For this activity you will need paper and markers/crayons and a small ball. If you have colored construction paper, that would work best. You can use crayons or markers though if you do not have colored paper.

First, decide what skill you would like to address with your child. Here are some suggestions based on age:

Preschool – colors, shapes, uppercase letters, numerals 1-10

Early Elementary (Grades K-1) – upper and lowercase letters, numerals 1-100, sight words, single digit addition and subtraction

Upper Elementary (Grades 2-5) – math facts (double digit addition/subtraction, multiplication, division), sight words, vocabulary words

For my kids, I chose colors and shapes for the preschoolers and math facts for my 2nd grader.

Next, cut the colored paper into about 3X5 rectangle. If you are working on shapes or math, etc. draw the shapes or write the numbers on the paper. Tape them to the wall about 3 feet off the ground. Here’s what it looked like at our house:

My preschooler working in high kneeling on identifying shapes

Last, I put a yoga dot on the floor to mark the spot for them to kneel, but you could use another piece of paper, a piece of tape, or a small pillow.

Now, you are ready to play. Make sure your child is in the high kneeling position. If they sit on their heels, remind them to lift up into high kneeling. This position works your child’s core muscles, which supports their postural strength and stability.

Call out the colors, shapes, numbers, etc. and have your child throw the ball at the target and try to catch it while maintaining the high kneeling position. This activity works on eye-hand coordination and shoulder stability, as well.

Adaptations:

If the kneeling position is too challenging, allow your child to alternate between kneeling and standing.
Change the size of the ball based on ability. The smaller the ball, the bigger the challenge.