Activity
Play Drop Catch
Develop your child's hand-eye coordination in an engaging way by challenging her to a game of Drop Catch. You can play this game with just a parent and child, or gather a couple of antsy kids, form a circle, and go at it as a group. Not only is this game rambunctious fun, but it works gross motor skills and big muscles-- all too rare with today's kids.
What You Need:
- Ball
- 2 kids
What You Do:
- Have the players stand at a distance from each other. They can be close together or far apart, whichever is most comfortable for them.
- Instruct the players to throw the ball back and forth between them.
- If a player drops the ball, he has to pay a penalty. On the first drop, he must go down on one knee and throw the ball back. If he catches the ball on the next throw, he can stand up again. If not, he goes down on both knees. Here are all the penalties according to number of drops:
- 1st drop: go down on one knee
- 2nd drop: go down on both knees
- 3rd drop: go down on both knees, one hand on the ground
- 4th drop: go down on both knees, one hand on the ground, one eye closed
- 5th drop: go down on both knees, one hand on the ground, both eyes closed
- 6th drop: you're out
- For each ball caught, a player can only subtract one penalty level. For example, if a player is at the 4th penalty level, with both knees on the ground, one hand on the ground, and one eye closed, and catches the ball, he can move up to the 3rd penalty level. If he catches the ball again, he moves to the 2nd penalty level, and so on.
- Encourage the players to keep tossing the ball until one person is out.
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See this activity in a set:
8 Great Games for Fourth Grade