Ball Moving Day: Big and Little

All the school's balls got mixed up and it's moving day: big balls go in the big box and small balls in the small box, carried in different ways. Children practice sorting by size and moving while carrying objects.

How to play

1. The teacher dumps a mix of big and small balls at one end of the playground; at the other end there's a big box and a small box (1 min).
2. We compare: we pick up a big one with two hands and a small one with one hand and set them next to their boxes (2 min).
3. All together: we carry the balls to their boxes; big ones hugged to our chest, small ones in one hand (4 min).
4. Second move, in reverse: we bring them back to the pile in new ways, rolling the big ones with our hands and balancing the small ones on our palm (3 min).
5. We count together how many balls are in each box and cheer for moving day (2 min).

Rules

• One ball at a time.
• Big ones in the big box, small ones in the small box.
• Walk fast, but don't bump.

Variations

Adaptations

• Child who uses a wheelchair: carries balls on their lap and the boxes are at a reachable height.
• Child with low vision: compares sizes with their hands; each box makes a different sound when a ball drops in.
• Child with less strength: carries only small, light balls.

Learning goals

• Sort objects by size.
• Carry objects while moving.
• Work together on a shared task.

Equipment for a class of 25

• pelotas grandes: 12
• pelotas pequeñas: 15
• cajas: 2

Teacher tip

Exact counting isn't the point: what matters is deciding if a ball "belongs to the big family or the little family." Use soft balls; tennis balls are too big to swallow, but avoid anything smaller.

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