Roll Down The Hill
What you need
- a short, gentle grassy slope that ends in flat grass, short enough for you to reach the bottom in a few steps
How to do it
- Walk the slope first for stones, sticks, glass and dog mess, and check it ends in flat grass, away from paths, roads and water.
- Help them lie across the top of the slope, arms stretched over their head.
- Walk the few steps down to the bottom and say "Roll to me!", ready to meet them.
- Walk back up together for another roll.
Why it matters
Rolling tips the whole world round for a moment, and a gentle slope does most of the work, so the dizzy, giggly feeling is the whole point.
What they're learning
- Rolling
- Turning over and over with arms up and body straight.
- Finding up again
- Sitting up and getting their balance back after a roll.
- Climbing a slope
- Walking back up the hill for another go.
What to look for
Notice the giggle as they sit up at the bottom and the world stops spinning.
A tip
Choose a slope gentle enough to walk down easily and short enough that you are at the bottom within a few steps and they never pick up speed, on dry grass. A roll or two is plenty if they feel wobbly; let them sit and rest whenever they like.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: roll along flat grass instead, with you kneeling beside them
Harder: roll down a slightly longer stretch of the same gentle slope, with you waiting at the bottom, still only a few steps from where they start
