Balls and Body Activities

Here are some additional ideas for how balls can be used in therapy sessions. For ball activities focusing on UE use, Go to Brilliant Therapy section under OT=unlimited=grasp development and find ‘Balls and Arms Activities’.
Additional Ideas:
-Throw velcro balls to a target
-Place butcher paper across a doorway, and then cut an X. It is fun to see the ball go thru the X cut opening and then closing behind the ball as it passes.
-Try walking around with 3 balls balanced between your hands.
-Place cardboard squares on the ground and bounce the ball 1x on each one.
-Lay prone on a large ball and transfer items or try doing in a supine position (See pictures)
-Bounce balls off of a trampoline or wall.
-Try shaking ball pit balls by standing and holding one end of a parachute (the other end of the parachute can be held by others, or fastened to a wall or clamped to a heavy table).
-Get those abdominal muscles worked out, by having kids lay down in a row or circle and pass the ball with their feet while supine on the ground.
-Any form of ballet ball is good. Try placing a party streamer to the ball and let it fly in the air behind the ball, helping your client visually track it.
-Coconut bowling is fun with a coconut (or ball) and water bottles filled with water and a drop of blue food coloring to give it added interest.
-Ball Mailng- Send a message to another by taping a message to the ball and then rolling it to another friend.
-Try using a ball that lights up when it is thrown or shook.
-Jump onto a ball pit where the large balls are pushed together by the edges of a kids pool (the one shown was purchased from Walmart)