Send Back the Teacher's Gift Ball

The teacher "gifts" the ball to each child with a gentle toss, and the child sends it back by hitting it with a cardboard racket toward a cone area. It works on hitting an incoming ball and deciding where to send it.

How to play

1. Children stand in two short lines with their rackets; the teacher faces them with a basket of balls and some cones nearby (2 min).
2. The teacher rolls the ball, the child stops it with the racket and pushes it back, then goes to the end of the line (3 min).
3. The teacher tosses the ball with one soft bounce and the child hits it back toward the teacher (4 min).
4. The teacher names a cone color and the child tries to send the ball that way (3 min).
5. While one child hits, the ones in line practice the swing in the air with their rackets (1 min).
6. We all pick up the balls and return them to the teacher's basket (2 min).

Rules

• I wait in line with my racket down.
• I watch the ball until it touches my racket.
• Every hit counts: what matters is trying.
• After my hit, I go to the end of the line.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: roll the ball straight to the racket of a child in a wheelchair, who rests it on the ground.
• Hearing impairment: the teacher shows the colored cone with a hand before tossing.
• Less skill: a racket with a bigger face made from a pizza box.

Learning goals

• Hit a ball tossed by someone else.
• Watch the ball all the way to the racket.
• Decide where to send the ball.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cardboard rackets: 25
• Foam balls: 10
• Cones: 6
• Basket: 1

Teacher tip

If there is another adult, set up two stations so lines have no more than three or four kids. The usual mistake is us tossing too hard: the ball should arrive slowly at waist height.

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