Skittles

Have fun by playing skittles with your children. This game is easily graded and therefore really suitable for siblings to join in.  

Equipment required:

-  Skittles; you can buy these, or make your own, using empty bottles, filled with a little sand or water, so that they can be placed on uneven surfaces such as grass or paving.

- Balls; it is generally a good idea to start with beanbags (buy, sew your own), as these do not roll away.  Then you can introduce balls, starting with smaller soft balls and gradually increasing the size.  Children loose interest very quickly if they spend time running after a ball, therefore it is a good idea to have at least 10 readily available.

Set-up:

Place the skittles next to each other or scattered, leaving at least a 30cm gap between them.  This requires more skills as the child has to aim at each skittle individually. Show your child how to throw over-hand.  Then use a rope or draw a chalk line on the paving, so that the child knows where to stand.  You can have several lines, increasing the distance from the skittles.

Activity extension:

Once all bean bags have been thrown, you can throw them back to the child, thereby improving catching skills.  Initially throw towards the child's midline and once they improve their catching skills, you can throw them a little off-center, so that the child has to move to catch the ball.  Initially. children catch the beanbag/ball by stabilising it with the trunk; as the skills improves, they learn to catch the ball using their hands only.