When a child kicks a ball it helps improves the child’s gross motor skills, balance and foot-eye coordination.
How to teach or work on kicking a ball
- Use a big soft ball to start.
- Show the child how you kick a ball. Children are wonderful at modeling your behavior.
- Roll the ball to child’s foot and ask them to kick it.
- If the ball simply touches the child’s foot, reinforce what just happened by saying “Nice kick.” Child will then learn that a kick is when the ball hits and bounces off their foot.
- Kicking barefoot helps a child feel their foot connect with the ball (be sure you are using a big, soft ball).
- Try kicking a ball back and forth from each other.
- Show the child how to practice kicking a ball against a wall. This will help child quickly learn what kicking means and will enjoy doing it. He or she can also practice this skill on his or her own.
- Once good kicking is taking place set up a goal by using two pieces of paper, cones, rocks, leafs, or cans spread far apart from each other. As a fun game, have the child kick the ball in between between the two items.
