Achoo, Tissue, Into the Bin

Each child gets a pretend tissue (a ball of clean paper), pretends to blow their nose and tosses it into the bin (a bucket) from farther and farther away, then pretends to wash their hands. It practices aiming a throw and reviews the routine of blowing your nose, throwing away the tissue and washing your hands.

How to play

1. The teacher shows the routine with a real tissue: “Blow, fold, in the bin, wash my hands” (1 min).
2. Everyone crumples a sheet of paper into a tight ball: that’s our pretend tissue (1 min).
3. Pretend to blow your nose with a big “honk!” and toss the tissue into the bin from close up; go get it and repeat (3 min).
4. Take one step back after each throw, try with the other hand and with an underhand toss (3 min).
5. Finish with a pretend handwash, rubbing palms, backs and fingers, and gather all the balls into one bin (2 min).

Rules

• We only throw at the bin, never at a friend.
• Wait until the child in front picks up their ball before throwing.
• After a tissue, always clean hands.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: throw from the wheelchair to a bin set at the child’s height, or drop the ball in from above.
• Autism: mark with tape the spot to throw from and the spot to return to.
• Visual impairment: use a metal bucket or one with a bell so it makes a sound when the ball lands, and have a classmate tap it before each throw.

Learning goals

• Throw accurately at a target.
• Learn the routine of blowing your nose, tossing the tissue and washing hands.
• Use both hands to throw.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Paper balls: 25
• Buckets: 3

Teacher tip

Use only clean paper (scrap sheets) and never real used tissues. Keep the bucket by the classroom door as the “tissue bin” so the habit sticks.

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