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Friday Freebies: Balloons and Beach Balls

by Marcie

balloons-ajsvg.pngSince AJ came home he has been fascinated with balloons and beach balls, perhaps because one of the best items we took on our trip to Russia was a blow up beach ball (we played with it in the hotel room and the hallway for hours).

Now, it is easy to entertain AJ for hours with a bag of balloons from the local grocery store or with a beach ball or two. All I have to do it blow it up and set him free in the backyard. He works on eye-hand coordination, catching, gross motor skills like running, and even communication because he does talk to other people when he wants them to play with him.

However, that is certainly not very good parenting on my part, right? So I came up with a few games to play with the balloons and the balls (with one person because that is all I have at the moment).

1. The first game takes some skill on AJ’s part but he loves trying to get it right. In this particular game I set up a goal made out of two orange cones. AJ starts behind a line at one side of the yard and has to travel to the “goal” while tapping the balloon just ahead of him. The wind tends to blow it or the balloon gets a little out of whack because he taps it in the wrong direction. To win the game (or finish) he has to make five goals because that is how old he is.

2. The next game is with the beach ball because it does not pop. The same start line and goal are used for this. AJ has to place a small beach ball between his legs and travel to the goal and back to the start line, attempting to beat his previous time or trying to beat me.

3. This game is played with two players and again is very simple. Each player has to keep the balloon afloat for as long as they can.

For more balloon games
Learn how to tie balloon animals


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