Children take turns tossing fruit into a basket.
Children take turns tossing fruit into a basket.
What you'll need
- large basket OR box
- toy fruits OR balls
Step by step
Step 1
Set out a large basket with no handles in an open play area or outside.
Step 2
Using toy fruits or balls, invite children to stand close to the basket and toss the toy fruits or balls inside. Encourage them to take turns tossing and helping to pick up the fruits.
More ideas
Infants: Infants will enjoy moving the toy fruits in and out of the basket. Some may try dropping the fruits, banging them together, or moving them from hand to hand.
Older Toddlers: Invite older toddlers to stand farther back and aim at the basket as they toss the fruits/balls.
Learning outcomes
Physical Development and Health
Gross Motor Development
Begins to coordinate body movements (picks up rolled ball, uses hands and feet to make contact with objects, claps); begins to develop proprioception - knowing where one's body is in space (tummy time, reaches for feet)
Coordinates body movements in place (begins kicking stationary ball, begins throwing overhand, catches rolled ball, etc.); continues to develop proprioception (participates in tummy time, uses both hands equally, sucks/blows with drinking straws, begins messy play)
Coordinates body movements in place to interact with objects and surroundings (kicks stationary balls, throws overhand at target, attempts to catch balls, begins dribbling balls with hands, jumps on 2 feet in place); continues to develop proprioception (participates in tummy time, continues messy play)
Physical Development and Health
Fine Motor Development
Uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps
Uses both hands to hold and manipulate objects (holds block and adds another block to top)
Uses more refined hand and wrist movements (scribbles, stacks blocks, turns pages)
Coordinates hand and eye movements and controls small muscles when doing simple tasks (uses tools for feeding, hammers pegs, uses large crayons for scribbling); uses fingers and hands to grasp and eat finger foods and drink from cups; uses tools for feeding; drinks with a straw
Uses different actions on objects (kicks, pats, swipes, shakes); explores food with hands and fingers; coordinates sucking/chewing and swallowing, eventually grasping easy-to-handle foods
Uses hands and eyes together to complete tasks requiring a moderate amount of control (completes three or four piece puzzles, thread beads with large holes, uses shape sorter)
Social-Emotional Development
Self-Awareness and Self-Concept
Shows pleasure at things they have done
Shows others things they have done; attempts to do some things independently but asks for help often
Shows confidence in increasing abilities through actions and language; attempts to accomplish activities independently; begins to help clean up work/play space with guidance
Social-Emotional Development
Trust and Relationships
Responds to and shows awareness of other children
Shows interest in other children; responds to other children
Begins to interact with other children; side-by-side play progressing to interactive play using same materials; begins to show preference for some children over others; uses imitation or pretend play to learn new roles and relationships