BUMPY BOUNCY BALLS

 encore plus one...

Since I first blogged about these balls I have a new grandchild. He can crawl and sit so now is the time... Everything I said about these wonderful toys has proven true. They have become an invaluable. So much so that two weeks ago we brought two outside and the dog ( thinking that they were for him) ate the yellow one and the blue one. Lesson learned... 

So when I saw an orange, blue and yellow one at my hardware store, I immediately bought them. Now I'm sorry I didn't buy green and purple...  grandchild #1 learned to kick and dribble with the big red one. AND two years later they haven't deflated...I'm not sure how much more we could ask of a three dollar toy!

I purchased these balls at different places, different times. I found the large red one at the grocery store and the yellow and blue at different drug stores. They're light and the bumps make them perfect for little hands. Once an ed specialty toy, they are so wonderful that now they're everywhere, even in the drug store toy section...  

At first we just rolled them on the floor of the upstairs hallway... a hallway keeps the ball with in reach, even when we miss. 

We bounce them off the floor and the walls. Great sensory and motor play, also exciting and fun! The balls are light and washable so they won't harm the walls or babies.

Then our beginner learned primary color names. Here is the blue one, find the yellow one... we practiced with the balls.

Finally sizes: Find the big red one, please get the small yellow one...

And along the way: holding, letting go, rolling, catching, tossing, following directions, social interaction and lots of laughing when we missed or cheering when we succeeded. You can learn a lot from inexpensive bouncy balls...

For more fun and learning with babies and kids visit beginnerswork.com and subscribe to the this blog above.... I'd love to hear what you have to say... - Karen