- Check the space and the kit.
- Get your child's attention first.
- Show it from two sides.
- Say one thing only.
- End on one that works.
Put the phone down where you can see it. Tap Next with your thumb, or use the arrow keys.
Is the space marked?
- A start line
- A cone gate
- A small goal (two cones 2 m apart)
- A passing mark 5 to 8 m away
A stick, a tennis ball or a larger soft ball, a clear space.
Three minutes to get warm.
Easy jogging on the spot, then arms and legs. How to warm up well is explained at workonfitness.com.
- Hold the stick with the left hand at the very top and the right hand halfway down. The flat side faces the ball.
- Bend the knees and lean slightly forward, the stick head on the ground.
- Tap the ball softly from side to side, keeping it a hand's width from the stick.
- Look up now and then; when you stop, rest the stick on the ball.
Show it once from the front and once from the side, slowly. Then let your child try.
- Take the grip: left hand on top, right hand lower.
- Bend the knees, lean slightly forward.
- Tap the ball gently, keeping it close to the stick, anywhere in the area.
- Look up now and then.
- When you stop, rest the stick on the ball.
How much: 3 rounds of 30 seconds
Keep it close, tiny taps
Tap count
The rules
Count the taps in 30 seconds without losing the ball.
- Stand in the clear space with the ball at the stick
- On "go", tap the ball as you move round the area
- Count each tap aloud for 30 seconds
- 3 rounds; keep the best
Fair play: A grown-up taps on the reverse side only.
- Points
- 1 point for each tap.
- Fouls
- The count stops for that round: the ball touches a foot; the left hand slides down below the right; the ball goes more than a stick's length away
- Win
- Beat your best round.
- 10
- 20
- 30
20 taps without losing the ball.
End on one that works. If it was hard today, finish with the easier version.
Well played.
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