5 Engaging Activities To Incorporate Ball Play With Baby
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Half of my job, as a Mother, is picking up my baby’s toys when he throws them on the ground. I feel like as soon as I bend down to pick one up, another one has been chucked on the ground 6 steps away. Although this chore is repetitive, it’s playtime and my little one cackles with laughter playing with his toys, so it’s worth it. That being said, no one wants to drop a ton of money on baby toys that will last maybe a year and will inevitably get beat-up to heck as it entertains your little one.
Enter the $3.99 bouncy ball: You know the ones - around summertime every year they pop up in supermarkets, Walmarts, Targets and big box stores everywhere. You can usually find them in a big ball pit in the Seasonal aisle. The very sight of them every summer brings out that little kid in me and I have to keep myself from jumping head first into the ball pit to pick the shiniest one. Not only do they bring back fond childhood memories for me, but they signify the beginning of my favorite season, Summer.
(SIDE NOTE: If your grocery store is a little behind on setting up their ball pit, you can always get one online too!)
As much as I loved them as a kid, I still love them as an adult but now, for for a different reason. They make the perfect addition to playtime for my little one. Although Bean is far too young to run outside and play with it in the backyard as I once did, this bouncy bundle of fun can be the perfect cheap toy for a baby.
1. Practice Crawl Position
My Bean is at the stage where he is trying to figure out how to move his body to get from point A to point B. He gets so frustrated on his stomach when he can’t seem to figure out how to get things moving. If your babe is in a similar phase, try including a ball in the mix.
Put the ball under the babe’s chest so they can practice being in crawl position. When practicing this with Bean, he rocks front and back a bit which should also help him understand that this is the optimal position to start moving forward. In this activity, the ball is underneath the baby’s chest. In the next one, the ball should be more beneath the baby’s head.
2. Develop Better Balance
In addition to helping your baby learn crawl position, a ball can be perfect to help them develop a better sense of balance. Similarly to the previous activity, have the babe start on their tummy. Then, put the ball underneath their hands and head so they are leaning on the ball with their upper body. The ball more in front of them than underneath them in this exercise, so instead of practicing crawling position, it’s almost like they’re doing a modified plank.
One, easier, variation is to have the baby start from a sitting position. Placing the ball right on front of them, they can use the ball to balance their sit and strengthen their back muscles to sit confidently by themselves.
3. Ball Bongos
Who doesn’t love a good make-shift instrument, right? While you’re practicing balance in your baby’s sit, feel free to tap the ball and use it as a little drum. Your baby may start playing the ball bongos on their own when you place the ball infant of them. But be sure to join in with them! It’s always more fun to play the bongos when others join in!
4. Visual Tracking
Although your baby may not be able to catch the ball themselves or go running after it just yet, you can still throw the ball to better your baby’s development. Find a wall or surface you can bounce the ball against and catch. Your baby will love the movement and sound of the ball bouncing against the wall, and it’s a great activity to continue practicing visual tracking.
5. Practice Holding the Ball
Those fine motor skills are still developing, so something large and interesting like the the ball is the perfect toy to practice a spherical grasp. You *may* be back to being on the toy-pick-up crew though as they develop better grips.
Your baby is a pro at turning anything into a toy, and with a little creativity, so are you! I hope you have lots of fun introducing your baby to the fun world of ball play this summer. Let me know how your little one likes these activities!
