How to help your kid build movement skills: balance, hopping, throwing and catching

Before a child can dribble a soccer ball, they need to balance on one foot. Before they can play catch, they need to track a ball with their eyes. Balancing, hopping, skipping, throwing and catching are the building blocks under almost every sport and playground game, and kids from 6 to 8 are at a great age to practice them.

The good news: none of it needs a team, a coach or equipment beyond a ball.

How much movement kids need

The CDC recommends that children 6 to 17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day. Most of it should get their heart pumping, and on at least 3 days a week it should include:

• Muscle-strengthening activities, like climbing or push-ups.
• Bone-strengthening activities, like jumping and running.

Hopping, skipping and obstacle courses tick both boxes. So do tag, hopscotch and jump rope.

Skill 1: Balance

Balance underpins everything else: running, kicking, riding a bike.

1. Stand on one foot, arms out wide like airplane wings.
2. Look at one spot on the wall. Fixing your eyes makes balancing much easier.
3. Count slowly to 10. Then switch feet. Most kids find one side harder.

Level up: balance with eyes closed (with a grown-up close by), on a pillow, or while catching a soft ball. Walk along a line of tape on the floor like a tightrope.

Skill 2: Hop, skip and gallop

These sound simple, but they take coordination. Skipping in particular is a milestone many kids reach somewhere in these early school years.

• Hop: five hops on one foot, then the other.
• Gallop: one foot always leads, the other catches up, like riding a horse.
• Skip: step-hop, step-hop, switching feet. If skipping is tricky, start with a slow "step, hop, step, hop" and speed up.

Turn it into a game: "Hop to the tree, gallop to the fence, skip back to me."

Skill 3: Throw and catch

1. Start close and big. A large, soft ball, two big steps apart.
2. Hands ready: out in front, fingers spread, like a basket.
3. Eyes on the ball all the way into your hands.
4. Throw gently with an underhand toss at first. Step forward with the opposite foot when throwing overhand.
5. Count catches in a row, and step back one step every time you get to five.

As they improve, switch to a smaller ball, then try bouncing it, throwing at a target, or catching with one hand.

Put it together: a backyard obstacle course

An obstacle course combines every skill, and kids love designing their own.

Let your child set it up, then check it's safe together: soft ground, nothing sharp, nothing that could tip over. Time their runs and see if they can beat their best.

Designing a course is also great thinking practice. Harvard's Center on the Developing Child suggests that active games with rules and planning help kids practice executive function skills like remembering steps and controlling impulses.

Keep it fun and varied

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises young athletes to avoid specializing in one sport and to play a variety of activities instead, which helps prevent overuse injuries. At 6 to 8, variety is the whole point: running, climbing, swimming, dancing, biking and ball games all build different skills.

Praise effort, not just results: "You kept your eyes on the ball the whole time!" The CDC's tips for this age suggest recognizing your child's accomplishments, and progress in balance or catching is easy to see and celebrate.

When to check with your pediatrician

Children develop movement skills at different rates. If your child seems much clumsier than other kids their age, has trouble with balance, falls a lot, or avoids physical play, mention it to your pediatrician.

Make it a quest

In Family Quests, this is the Mover skill. Practice quests are balance on one foot for 10 seconds, hop, skip and gallop and throw and catch a ball, and the mastery quest is complete a backyard obstacle course with balance, jumping and throwing. Start free.

Next: help your kid practice a sport skill, or read about screen time and real-world play.

This article is general information for parents, not medical advice. Every child develops at their own pace. If you have questions about your child's health or development, talk with your pediatrician.