Outdoor Golf Toss

Requirements

• Beanbags, foam balls or tennis balls
• Hula hoops or rope / ribbons to make large rings
• Pieces of cardboard to mark “golf tees”
• Large outdoor space (backyard, local park)

Instructions

1. Create outdoor “golf holes” using hula hoops, or make large rings on the ground using rope or ribbon.
2. Place scraps of cardboard on the ground to mark “golf tees” where you throw from.
3. With your child, take turns tossing a beanbag or ball underhand from each tee to the appropriate golf hole.
4. After each of you has tossed from the tee, go to where your ball has landed and toss at the golf hole again.
5. Continue until you get the ball to rest inside the golf hole.
6. Count how many tosses it took you to get the ball to rest inside the golf hole.
7. Go around the circuit of “golf holes” and keep track of your total number of tosses.
8. If your child is very small, consider having different tees with different distances for parent and child.

Variations

• As your child masters the game using short distance tosses, challenge them by increasing the distances.
• After your child masters the underhand throw, play again using overhand throws.

Benefits

This activity develops coordination of arms and torso, fine motor control, and the ability to “read” distances. These skills transfer to sports and activities that involve throwing an object accurately over a perceived distance (e.g., balls, frisbees, ribbons, sticks, batons).