GM.D.128 CATCHES A 15 CM BALL WITH ARMS

Catching skills are harder than throwing skills – hence their late appearance in this sequence. But if you have been playing ball games of any kind with your child, she will, of course, have had some opportunities to catch before now.

Catching requires a high level of hand-eye coordination, and will develop this co-ordination still further.

How to Assess

Materials: A light ball, about 15 cm in diameter.

Method: Stand facing your child and throw the ball to her, from a distance of about 1.5 metres. Score plus if your child catches the ball in 3 out of 5 attempts. She is most likely to catch the ball with both arms, clasping in to her chest.

How to Teach

As with early throwing it helps to have someone act as a throwing partner, while you help your child to catch. Stand behind your child, lean over her and support her arms, bent to 90°, palms up.

As the ball lands on her upturned forearms, behind her wrists and elbows up to draw the ball to her chest. Initially use a soft ball that won’t hurt when it lands on her arms and is squashed to her chest. Gradually increase the distance between the thrower and your child, from almost touching her arm’s length to 1 to 2 metres away.

Give your child a balloon to play with. Throw it up and let her catch it. Because it is light, the whole movement us slowed down and will give her a chance to co-ordinate the action more easily.