Physical Development, part 4: Have fun developing agility and hand-to-eye coordination

Having competent and reliable ball skills extends opportunities for children to be physically active as individuals, in pairs or teams – using a variety of resources and materials. New interests may be stimulated, friendships extended, family ties strengthened, and adults can play a positive role in supporting the practice of a wide range of skills. Not all children will be naturally talented, or even interested – but the skills acquired through engaging in ball games and activities can be life-enhancing.

US education consultant Rae Pica says, ‘It’s important to be playful around ball skills and don’t always make it sport-related – there is so much more that can be experienced, so we should leave it wide open.’

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Children need lots of playful experiences around ball skills, using everyday and familiar materials that they can source for themselves in a range of environments that have no specific sports agenda.

Children need a long period of ‘becoming familiar’ with a range of round resources, such as rolled-up socks and paper bags, beach balls and folded jumpers, so when they engage with ‘real’ footballs or tennis balls, they are completely comfortable with them.

Getting used to handling and exploring the properties of round objects early on is so important (like their different weights, sizes and textures and temperatures), as the variety of balls used in activities that children may encounter is considerable.

Small bats made of cardboard or rolled-up magazines can be used to hit and pat, and of course, using hands will also support reaction time and hand-eye co-ordination.

‘Ball play has so many playful benefits. It can extend communication as children share resources and experiences, and managing the unexpected is an essential life skill,’ says Gill Connell at education professional development company Moving Smart.

Dr Ben Langdown, sports scientist at the Open University, adds, ‘First, children need to move well. All children should be active, solve movement problems and develop creativity to overcome difficulties, complete tasks, make mistakes and deal with errors. Technique will come!’

HOW DO SPORTS PROVIDERS SUPPORT?

Coaches highlight confidence-building, teamwork and communication skills. Coach Dom, director of Key Sports Academy and FC, says, ‘Football gives children a lot of confidence and they can shine in different ways. Structure and rituals are very important, and for some children, the fact that my voice is the one that matters here stops parents being intrusive.

‘The physical aspect, like jumping, running and dynamic balance, is critical. We do lots of ladder work – drills that focus on accuracy and reaction times. We say “football doesn’t need to be spoken”, so it really supports the communication skills of children who may find verbal communication challenging.

‘We use smaller footballs when they are young – and don’t go in for strips and particular kit or boots.’

Tennis coach Phil Amos says, ‘Playing tennis is a really good way of refining basic skills: think of movement skills like going fast and slow – directions – forwards/backwards/sideways – speed – going very fast and slow.

‘Hand-eye co ordination is a big one – also timing and footwork. Of course, some children are naturally good at this – they like the individual feel to the sport – and have interested parents.

‘It’s important to be playful with children when they start tennis and that they enjoy it – there are lots of things parents can do with everyday stuff that can support footwork and co-ordination. I’ve seen coaches introduce children to racquets that are too large and have them standing around too long – I wonder how much they know about child development. It’s not an easy game to learn – but it does bring many lifelong benefits.’

HOW WOULD EARLY YEARS EXPERTS RESPOND?

Tania Swift from Be Inspired says, ‘Coaches can make everything too complicated and focus explicitly on sporting technique rather than the underlying, basic skill development that is needed – they should understand the developmental needs of children rather than focusing on the rules of a game too early. There is a big difference between everyone having their own ball and sharing just one.’

Helen Battelley from Music and Movement agrees. ‘Don’t assume all children will have an idea of what sporting activities include – what rules mean or what specialised behaviours are expected around equipment,’ she says.

‘Any resources should be carefully introduced. Let children explore, and always demonstrate very clearly what it is you are looking for. One of the best activities is to take children outside with large sheets of tissue paper and scarves. Let them chase and catch. Just observe how differently each child reacts.’

I would definitely advocate for never forcing anything, and being very aware of the underlying physical skills needed to reach a level of competence and confidence with a ball. Handling and eye-tracking skills are essential components, and can be practised by very young children with small balloons, bubbles, feathers and chiffon scarves that move relatively slowly.

Allow plenty of time for children to pursue their own interests and practise ‘made-up’ skills with a range of resources – no experience is wasted and you never know where explorations may lead.

Dr Langdown adds, ‘Always give children enough choice about the size of ball to use, what sort of target to aim for – and at what speed they should complete the task. Let children explore boundaries – how high, far, long can they kick, throw or aim. Let them go fast and big! Don’t keep them waiting for a turn – we are not teaching etiquette.’

HOW CAN WE MEET IN THE MIDDLE?

• Appreciate that many children enjoy repetitive drills and exercises – they provide a sense of familiarity, continuity and achievement.
• Being part of a team or group can be an important way to form and maintain friendships.
• We can provide a range of opportunities inside and outdoors that support hand-eye and eye-foot co-ordination, balance, overall strength, reaction time and speed.
• Using familiar/everyday resources will extend opportunities to refine ball skills in different environments.
  
  
  

Ball Skills examined

Basic ball skills:

• Throw – right/left hands, together (e.g. volleyball, basketball, dodgeball)
• Catch – right/left hands, together (e.g. netball)
• Kick – right/left foot (e.g. football)
• Aim – forward/backward/sideways/high/low/mid-level (all ball sports)
• Bat – racquets/bats (e.g. badminton, tennis, cricket)
• Pass – forward/backward/sideways/high/low/mid level, with hands/feet or both (e.g. rugby)

What can they support?

• Body management – agility, co-ordination, strength, balance
• Awareness of different forces – when to use power or delicate touch
• Direction – forwards/backwards/sideways/turning/high/low
• Spatial awareness – on a court/pitch, aiming high/low, passing to others, accuracy
• Estimating and predicting – speed, reaction time, space and distance
• Balance – dynamic equilibrium, staying balanced while moving at speed
• Hand-eye and hand-foot co-ordination
  
  

CASE STUDY: Ore Church Mice Preschool, Hastings, East Sussex

Head teacher Glen Russell says, ‘We use gym balls to scramble on – bounce on – roll on and squish. I often bounce the ball over children’s heads and chase them. We do play a lot with cricket bats, and enjoy throwing bean bags at old coffee tins stacked up – milk crates or plastic trugs. We also kick a lot of footballs. During Wimbledon we rolled tennis balls through paint and hit them at a big piece of plyboard with plastic tennis racquets. We play dodgeball with foam balls and dice and often roll up pieces of scrap paper and throw them to each other over a table laid on its side until the sand timer stops. Sometimes I write numbers or letters on these “balls” to make it more immersive. Ball play is really good for building up arm and hand strength – general balance, co-ordination and stamina. We do a lot of catching also, but with large teddies, and the older children like playing with an American football that we sourced.’