[Childcare] Ball game ideas popular with children

Ball passing

Grandeur Daycare Nursery [Gymnastics Class for Ages 2 and Up – Ball Passing]

Line up in a vertical row and pass the ball along.

The team whose ball returns to the front first wins! Hold the ball firmly with both hands and, at the starting signal, pass it over your head to the friend behind you.

They’ll take it and pass it further back, and once it reaches the last person, pass it forward again from the back to the front.

The key point is to let go only after the person behind you—whom you can’t see—has a secure hold on the ball.

It’s also fun to get creative: try standing with your feet apart and passing the ball through your legs, or pass over the head on the way back and through the legs on the return, and so on.

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Rolling Dodgeball

Rolling Dodgeball in Japan Showa Village

If you play dodgeball by rolling the ball and aiming at players’ legs, even children who are scared of fast-flying balls and aren’t fond of dodgeball can feel safe and have fun.

Players move within a marked area on the ground while dodging the ball, and anyone who gets hit on the legs steps out and joins the throwing team.

Because you have to roll the ball carefully to keep it from bouncing, the speed naturally stays lower.

Ball games tend to split kids into those who are good at them and those who aren’t, but with a few tweaks to the rules—even for the same game—everyone can enjoy playing together!

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playing catch

playing catch

Playing catch is simple fun: throw the ball, catch the one thrown back, and repeat.

You can use a small rubber ball, or enjoy a version where you throw and catch a larger ball with both hands.

Start at a short distance, then gradually move farther apart as you get used to it—your throwing strength will naturally adjust as the distance increases.

It’s also fun to add variety to how you throw: bounce it once before it reaches your partner, throw overhand, or toss it from between your legs.

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Bowling

On hot days, indoor play is the way to go☆ Plastic Bottle Bowling

Aim for a strike! This is a bowling game where you roll a ball toward plastic-bottle pins.

Put a small amount of water in the bottles, close the caps tightly, and wrap construction paper around them—that’s all the prep you need.

Roll the ball and count the number of pins that fall together with the children.

By having them check the count themselves instead of the teacher tallying it, it also becomes good practice for counting.

To keep them from getting discouraged—like saying, “I can’t knock any down, I don’t want to play anymore!”—adjust the distance to the pins as you observe how they’re doing.

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ball toss (traditional Japanese beanbag/ball-throwing game)

All Sorts of Ball Toss Games! [Ages 3–5] | Torikai Yuiku-en [Nursery/Kindergarten]

Tamaire is often thought of as simply tossing balls into a basket, but with a little creativity you can enjoy all kinds of variations! Try throwing balls from a distance into a basket placed on the ground, or aim at a basket your friend is wearing on their back as they run away—both offer a different kind of fun from the usual version where you throw at a basket up high.

Adjust the basket’s distance to match the child’s throwing ability.

If you say, “Put the balls into the bag the teacher is holding,” even the final clean-up can feel like a game.

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yuri

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