If you have a toddler in your home, chances are you have at least one bag of '100 plastic balls', hidden away somewhere, probably so you don't have to pick them all up. Now is the time to pull them out and let your toddler have fun with them. My 18 month old absolutely loves these colourful balls, and will play with them all day, every day. They are inexpensive and provide hours of fun, and the clean up isn't THAT bad! Today I am sharing "7 Fun Ways to Play with Ball-Pit Balls... Give it a go - You and your toddler will have a BALL!
1. Make your own ball-bit - Use things around your home to make your own ball-pit for your little one. Some ideas are: flexi tub, a tent, cardboard box, port-a-cot, paddling pool, plastic shell, bath (see below), laundry basket & an underbed storage bin. Throw in the balls and let your toddler explore and have fun!
2. Throw & Catch - these balls are great for little ones to practice their throwing and catching skills. They are light and soft, so you know your child won't hurt themselves or break anything (touch wood).
3. Colour Hunt/Sorting - have the balls scattered on the floor, and ask your toddler to grab the 'yellow ball' or 'blue ball', extend their learning by asking them to find 1-3 things of the same colour. You can also get some coloured card/paper and get your little one to find the balls that match each colour.
4. Muffin Tray - Your toddler will love putting balls into the muffin tray and taking them out. You can also use jelly cups, and cupcake cases - they are the perfect size for these balls.
5. Counting/Alphabet - Write numbers on the balls with a marker pen and practice counting and number recognition. Alternatively, write letters on the balls (capitals one side and lower case on the other) - great for letter recognition, and spelling their name or words.
6. In the bath - when your little one is having a bath, throw in the balls for some extra added fun.
7. Colour Sorting Game - Minne-Mama made this adorable Colour Toss Activity for her son - perfect for 'bean bag toss' (hand-eye co-ordination) or 'ball-pit balls' (colour sorting). What a brilliant idea! I am definitely going to make one of these for my boy.
Do you love or loathe ball-pit balls? If you love them, what do you do? If you loathe them, will you give these activities a go? Go on - your toddler will LOVE you for it.
Charlene
These are great ideas!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ali :)
DeleteWhat a great round up of ball activities! Found this at My Bored Toddler! I always love the projects you link up at Made for Kids link party! Look forward to seeing what you link up this week.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kim, I have just finished linking this post on Made for Kids #4! Hope that's okay.
DeleteIt's great! Thank you for linking up!
DeleteGreat ideas - we have a ton of these balls everywhere and they can be such a good learning tool for kids! I love the muffin tray idea (gosh that would keep my toddler busy for a while) and the colour sorting one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Jenelle! I used to get overwhelmed when I saw 100 balls all over the floor, now I see my son is having fun and learning at the same time. They really are a great tool to have in your home!
DeleteGreat ideas we use them in the bath a lot even now Monkey is 3.5!! Love the other ideas too and will keep them in mind thank you #Made4Kids
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