Back to activities
Big movementThinking play

Ball Roll

In a courtyard, balcony, or living room, roll a soft ball back and forth between adult and child. Add variations: roll to a target, roll under a chair.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home doing Ball Roll.
  • Age18 months to 6 years
  • Time5 to 15 minutes
  • EnergyModerate
  • CostFree
  • WhereIndoors or out
  • PrepNone

Sit or stand across from your child and roll a soft ball back and forth. Add simple targets and challenges as they warm up. Works indoors on a smooth floor or in any small outdoor space.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the floor facing your child about 4-6 feet apart. Have a soft ball or rolled-up socks between you.
  2. Roll the ball gently toward your child. Encourage them to stop it with both hands and roll it back to you.
  3. After a few basic rolls, add a simple variation: roll it to the side so they have to move to catch it, roll it faster, or try to roll it through a gap between two objects.
  4. Place a small target on the floor: a bowl, a folded towel, or two shoes as goalposts: and take turns trying to roll the ball into it.
  5. Move further apart when your child is comfortable, or stay close if they prefer. Follow their lead.

What you need

  • Soft ball
  • Floor area
  • Target container

Signs it is working

Your child tracks the ball visually as it rolls, moves their hands to intercept it, and rolls it back with some direction rather than random patting. They ask to continue when you suggest stopping.

If it is not quite clicking

The ball rolls past your child every time: Move closer until they can reliably stop it, then gradually increase distance. They want to throw rather than roll: Gently redirect: "We're rolling today: see if you can make it go straight." They lose interest in the back-and-forth: Switch immediately to the target variation: something to aim at keeps attention longer than pure passing.

Make it yours

Younger, 2-3 years: Sit very close (2-3 feet) and use a large, slow-moving soft ball; success at stopping and returning is the whole goal. Older, 5-7 years: Add a scoring game (3 points if it goes through the target, 1 point if it stops nearby), or try rolling with one hand only. Siblings: Take turns rolling to each other with a parent in the middle to redirect when the ball goes off course. Stopping signal: Agree on rounds before starting: "we'll each roll the ball ten times, then we put it away." Count the rolls aloud and announce "last roll!" before the final one so your child can prepare to stop.

Try this with your child.

Tell PLAI™ about your child and this moment. It shapes the activity to fit.

Try it in the app