Active, Coordinated Movement

Catch! Help Your Child Learn How to Catch a Ball

Your child's gross motor skills have been steadily improving as he gets older. One of the milestones he'll reach at this age is the ability to catch a bounced ball most of the time. You may expect this skill to develop at the same time as throwing a ball. However, throwing can occur much earlier, as you know from all the food you picked up off the floor while your child was learning to eat! Catching an object can be a little scary, so he may hold up his hands and close his eyes when attempting to catch a bounced ball. You can likely imagine that you wouldn't want to get hit by a thrown object, either. And from your child's perspective, it's definitely a possibility when just learning to catch. So start with lightweight objects, like beach balls, that don't pose any threat of harm, and work your way up as his skill level improves.

Has your child achieved the following Active, Coordinated Movement developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all of the skill(s) he has already mastered to date.