Ball skills programme 1

This programme can be used to improve your throwing and catching skills. You need to practice 2 to 3 times per week.

Throwing and catching is a fun way to improve your hand-eye coordination and learn underlying skills that help you complete everyday tasks.  Being able to throw and catch helps children to join in with P.E. or after school activities and play with their friends at playtime.

Ball skills programme 1

Start at number 1, if you catch 8 out of 10 throws, you are ready to move onto number 2.

Throw underarm unless your therapist has told you otherwise.

1. Bounce large ball down to partner and catch with 2 hands
2. Throw and catch a large ball to partner using 2 hands
3. Bounce large ball down to floor with 2 hands and catch with 2 hands
4. Throw large ball into air and catch with 2 hands
5. Bounce a tennis ball to partner with 1 hand catch with 2 hands
6. Throw a tennis ball to partner with 1 hand and catch with 2 hands
7. Throw a tennis ball up with 1 hand and catch with 2 hands
8. Bounce a tennis ball to partner with 1 hand and catch with 1 hand
9. Throw a tennis ball to partner with 1 hand and catch with 1 hand
10. Throw a tennis ball up with 1 hand and catch with 1 hand
11. Throw tennis ball to wall with 1 hand and catch with 2 hands
12. Throw tennis ball up with dominant hand, clap 2 to 3 times and catch with 2 hands
13. Throw tennis ball up with dominant hand, clap 2 to 3 times and catch with dominant hand
14. Throw tennis ball up, touch tummy and catch with 1 hand
15. Throw tennis ball up, touch head, tummy and catch with 2 hands

Game ideas

Use some of the following games to help make the session more interesting and to encourage using your brain at the same time as moving.

• Every time you catch a ball you have to say a different character such as from Harry Potter. See how many you can get
• Every time you catch the ball say a different type of food, a colour or animal
• Practise times tables or spellings
• Word games, such as the shopping list game. Together you have to remember all the food items, for example “I went to the shop and bought an apple”, “I went to the shop an bought an apple, and a banana”, “I went to the shop and bought an apple, a banana, and an orange”, and so on.
• Every time you catch the ball think of something you would put in your swimming bag, or for an overnight stay at a friend’s, or things to take to the beach. This helps with memory and organisational skills.