Roll with it – will your baby stop the ball?

What you need 

• A small ball, like a tennis ball  

What to do 

1. When your baby is sitting on the floor, try to sit on the floor facing them with your legs apart, and feet touching your baby’s legs. This should create an arena for the ball to move around in.  
2. Place the ball in front of you.  
3. Look at the ball and then look at your baby.  
4. Say, “Here comes the ball!” 
5. Slowly roll the ball to your baby and encourage them to stop it.  
6. If they manage it, give them lots of praise.  

Good to know 

The activity might only last a very short time and will need to be repeated several times for your baby to realise what is expected of them.  

If your baby doesn’t want to stay sitting down to play, you can roll the ball to them while they are toddling around. Try to think of it as an invitation to sit down and play, not a requirement for your baby. 

You can incrementally increase the speed at which you roll the ball as their stopping skills improve.