Bean bag throwing

What you need

• A bean bag (if you don’t have one, make your own by using a small cloth bag with a zip e.g. make-up bag and filling with rice. Alternatively, you could use a ball.)
• Some space - perhaps out in the garden or in the park

Benefits

• Developing hand-eye coordination
• Using gross motor skills and developing control over an object
• Hearing and using ordinal language such as ‘first’ and ‘last’

The experience

Show your child the bean bag; ask them how far they think they can throw it. Do they think it will be further than you can? Find a space with no breakables (we recommend the garden or an open space at the park, if possible). Agree where you have to stand to throw the beanbag - perhaps chalk a line, stick some tape on the ground or find a stick to mark the starting line. Then, get throwing!

Take turns to throw the beanbag, talk about whose went the furthest. You might like to challenge each other by seeing if you can throw it further than you did on your last go! Mark where the beanbag landed with sticks, tape or chalk, and give it another try!