
Free Ball
Skills:
Physical: kicking a ball, lower limb coordination, balance, eye-foot coordination
Cognitive: visual processing, selective attention
Social: knowledge of others’ names
Number of participants:
5 or more
Equipment:
- 1 ball per group
- tape to mark a line (optional)
Description:
- one player has the ball while other players scatter behind a line about 10m away
- standing with the ball, the kicker faces the other players, calls another player’s name and kicks the ball towards the line
- the player named tries to trap the ball before it goes over the line then kicks it back to the first kicker
Modifications to make the activity easier:
Change the equipment: use a larger, lighter target (i.e., lighter pin) to decrease physical demand
Change the environment: have the child stand closer to the other children when kicking the ball to decrease physical demand
Modifications to make the activity harder:
Change the task: have the child dribble the ball between their feet before kicking at the cone to increase cognitive demand
Change the environment: have the child do 5 jumping jacks before kicking the ball to increase physical demand
Goal examples:
- I will be able to call my friend’s name and kick the ball over 10m to them
- I can kick the ball to my friend