Ping Pong Ball - Page 3 of 4

Paper Roll Tunnel Guide

Steps:

Tape four paper rolls onto a large piece of cardboard to create tunnels.
Place the board on a flat table or the floor.
Give your child a ping pong ball and a craft stick.
Ask them to push the ball through each tunnel using the stick.
They should hold the board steady with their helper hand.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ping pong balls can be a choking hazard for young children. Ensure all materials are used as intended.

Splash Goal Ball Push

Steps:

Tear four long strips of masking tape.
Tape them to a piece of cardboard to make a square goal.
Put the cardboard on a flat, water-safe surface.
Fill the trigger style spray bottle with plain water.
Place a ping pong ball near the start of the cardboard.
Ask your child to squeeze the trigger to spray the ball.
They must aim the stream to push the ball into the goal.
Try moving the ball back to increase the difficulty.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise water play. Ensure the floor is dry to prevent slips.

Spoon Obstacle Delivery

Steps:

Create a path on the floor by spacing out 4-5 Boxes. Use different sizes of boxes to create a varied, low obstacle maze.
Place the Stuffed Animal (the customer!) at the finish line. Give your child the Spoon and have them balance the Ping Pong Ball on it.
Challenge your child to walk or step carefully through the maze without letting the “delivery” fall off the spoon. If it drops, they must return to the starting point to try again.

Safety Tip:
Ensure the path is clear of trip hazards. Make sure the boxes used as obstacles are sturdy enough not to collapse when bumped.

Shoulder Strength Leopard Crawl

The leopard crawl is a military type-specific crawl that can increase shoulder strength by using the shoulder muscles to move forward.

Place an empty bucket at one side of the room and give the child a few small size balls (tennis balls, ping pong balls, cotton balls, etc.).

Ask the child to hold one ball in each hand while on his tummy and do a leopard crawl towards the empty bucket. The route to the bucket can go under a table, inside a tunnel, under chairs, or other obstacles for grading.

When the child reaches the bucket, ask the child to put the balls in it and crawl back to the start.

For proper crawl ensure the child is advancing an arm/elbow with the diagonal knee. When an elbow is placed forward, the diagonal knee is also placed forward, and then alternated with the other elbow and knee.

Balance on the Web

Using the masking tape, create a large spider web shape on the floor or carpet. Place the container in the center of the web.

Place different objects to be picked up inside the spider web. Ping-pong balls and bean bags work well for this purpose.

Ask the child to walk and stay on the web lines while picking up all the objects along the way and putting the objects in the container. As the child picks up the object, encourage him to squat down, reach for the object while staying on the line, pick up the object, and return to a standing position.

For grading, ask the child to throw the objects into the container and use a point system where the child gets a point for scoring and loses a point if he falls off the spider web line.

You can also work on pincer grasp by using small objects, such as plastic bugs, and have the child use tongs or tweezers to pick up the items.