Stop It With Your Foot: illustration of a toddler doing the activity

Stop It With Your Foot

from 24 months · 5-10 min · Gross motor

What you need

  • a soft ball

How to do it

  1. Stand a few steps apart facing each other.
  2. Roll the ball slowly to their feet.
  3. Show them how you put your foot on it to stop it, then kick it back.
  4. Swap turns: roll, stop, kick.

Why it matters

A ball that's already moving asks them to time their foot to meet it, the next step on from kicking a still ball.

What they're learning

Timing
Getting a foot to the ball as it arrives is the new part here.
Kicking back
Sending it back to you is a kick with a direction.
Taking turns
Roll, stop, kick is a back-and-forth game they can follow.

What to look for

Watch for them lifting a foot before the ball reaches them.

A tip

Shoes with a good grip beat socks on a smooth floor. Clear a space first and use a soft, light ball.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: roll it very slowly and let them stop it with their hands first

Harder: roll it a little faster

More like this

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Gross motor activities · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a ball

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