Babies have an incredible curiosity for the world around them, and balls seem to spark their interest like no other toy, especially when they're in a ball pit! From their soft textures to their rolling movements, balls captivate a baby’s senses and encourage exploration. They’re not just fun; they’re a gateway to developing essential skills like hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and motor abilities. As early childhood professionals, we’ve seen firsthand how this simple toy can inspire growth and learning in ways that are both engaging and impactful.
Motor Skills
Balls support gross-motor development by encouraging activities like crawling, grasping, throwing, and kicking. These movements strengthen muscles and improve coordination in infants and toddlers. For example, rolling colourful balls helps babies practice reaching, while tossing them develops hand-eye coordination.
Interactive play with balls, such as in a ball pool or soft-play area, promotes skills like balance and control. Safe, toddler-friendly environments foster confidence as children explore movement without fear of injury. The repetitive actions involved in ball games enhance motor learning over time.
Indoor-play spaces designed for motor development often incorporate sensory elements like textured or soft balls. These features stimulate a child's ability to respond to sensory input, linking physical actions with sensory processing seamlessly.
When do babies start throwing things?
Babies typically begin throwing objects intentionally around 9 to 10 months of age. This behavior aligns with the development of voluntary release, the motor skill responsible for letting go of items. During this stage, babies refine their control over grasping and releasing, often tossing objects like food, toys, or colourful balls as part of their practice.
By 16 months, throwing becomes more deliberate as gross-motor skills improve. Overhand throwing tends to emerge first, with underhand throwing developing later, usually around 23 to 24 months. With guidance and repetition, children gain coordination and accuracy, using objects like soft balls in indoor play areas or toddler-friendly environments to enhance their motor development safely.
Engaging in interactive, age-appropriate activities like ball-pit play creates a safe environment for exploration. The tactile and visual stimulation of colourful balls encourages sensory learning, helping children gain confidence while fostering social skills and hand-eye coordination.
Why do babies throw things?
Babies throw objects as part of their cognitive, sensory, and motor development. This behavior typically starts around 9 to 10 months when voluntary release skills emerge. Throwing helps babies explore cause-and-effect relationships—observing how objects move, fall, and make sounds when dropped or tossed. For example, tossing colourful balls in a ball pool allows them to experiment and learn through repetition.
Repeated throwing also enhances gross-motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination and arm strength. During this stage, babies aren’t misbehaving; they’re engaging in exploratory play. A controlled, toddler-friendly space, like an indoor-play setting with soft balls, provides a safe environment for them to test these skills.
As babies grow into toddlers, their throwing becomes more intentional, with overhand throws typically developing first. Interactive activities, such as bean bag toss, or playing with textured balls, encourage refined motor control and sensory processing. These activities not only support physical growth but also foster social skills when done in shared play environments.
Why do toddlers throw things?
Toddlers throw objects as a natural part of their development, combining exploration and motor skill practice. At around 9 to 10 months, they begin throwing as they master voluntary release. By 19 to 21 months, their fascination with how objects move—known as the trajectory schema—leads to behaviors like tossing food or toys. Throwing helps them understand cause-and-effect relationships, such as how a ball bounces differently from a squishy object.
Emotionally, toddlers throw items to express frustration or excitement since their ability to regulate emotions is still developing. Physically, throwing strengthens gross motor skills by engaging large muscle groups like their arms, core, and legs, improving balance and stability. Introducing child-friendly, soft-play materials indoors, such as colourful balls or beanbags, allows them to channel this behavior into safe, structured activities.
Interactive games in toddler-friendly settings—like tossing balls in a ball-pool or aiming items at a target—enhance sensory exploration and refine hand-eye coordination. Such activities provide a safe environment for learning while fostering social skills and motor development.
What are the developmental benefits of throwing?
Throwing enhances gross-motor skills as children engage large muscle groups to perform actions like overhand or underhand throws. These movements improve strength, stability, and coordination. For example, using lightweight, child-friendly objects like colourful balls in a ball pool supports this development in a safe environment.
Hand-eye coordination advances through repeated throwing activities. Aiming at targets, such as indoor-play baskets or soft-play hoops, helps toddlers refine their precision and spatial awareness. Games involving bean bag toss or tossing balls into containers can combine motor development with interactive play.
Cognitive skills grow as children experiment with cause-and-effect relationships. Observing how the force and direction of their throws influence the movement of objects fosters problem-solving abilities. Using balls of various sizes or weights encourages sensory exploration and a basic understanding of gravity.
Social skills develop as toddlers play cooperatively during group activities, such as interactive games in playgrounds or toddler-friendly spaces. Sharing turns to throw or counting successful tosses with peers cultivates teamwork and communication skills.
Throwing also supports sensory learning when paired with textured or soft-play materials. These items engage touch and visual stimuli, creating opportunities for exploration while children practice motor tasks in structured, safe environments.
Activities and toys to practice throwing
Interactive throwing activities introduce toddlers to critical skills like aiming, balance, and motor coordination. Safe, structured environments like indoor play zones or ball pits encourage fun-filled practice while enhancing sensory, gross-motor, and social skills.
Throwing balls
Soft-play balls and colourful balls create a toddler-friendly space for throwing practice. Tossing balls into laundry hampers or child-friendly containers refines motor development, coordination, and voluntary release skills. Ball pools add sensory-rich interactivity as toddlers explore cause-and-effect through rolling and throwing.
Cause and effect activities
For cause-and-effect learning, durable containers or large pots amplify auditory feedback when balls are thrown. Interactive games like "1-2-3, throw!" allow toddlers to link movement to outcomes, fostering sensory exploration and understanding of object behavior during play.
Trajectory schema activities
Ball-related trajectory schema activities introduce toddlers to object movement patterns. Rolling balls under chairs or throwing toward targets encourages spatial awareness and promotes cognitive skills. Structured indoor-play setups support these learning opportunities in a safe environment.
Learning to aim and throw
Target-based games help toddlers develop aiming precision and overhand throw techniques. Bean bag tosses, ball-pool play, or counting scored "goals" enhance gross-motor skills, focus, and confidence. Combining practice with vivid, colourful balls makes learning engaging and visually stimulating.
How to stop your baby or toddler from throwing food
To address food-throwing behavior, stay calm and consistent. When your child throws food, use a neutral tone to describe the action, such as, "Food is for eating, not for throwing." Avoid emotional reactions to ensure it doesn't become a game for them. Instead, redirect their interest by providing them with a small bowl on their tray where they can drop food. Demonstrate by saying "drop" or "in" as you place food in the bowl, teaching them an appropriate action.
Reduce food portion sizes on their tray. Offering fewer pieces at a time minimises opportunities to throw and helps gauge whether they're finished eating. If throwing persists, clean up discreetly and transition to another activity, as it may signal mealtime is over.
Encourage appropriate throwing through structured, child-friendly activities. Provide a safe environment, like aiming felt balls or beanbags into a target, to channel their throwing fascination. Indoor-play setups, such as soft-play materials or colourful balls, allow tactile and motor development while keeping the activity constructive and interactive.
How to stop your baby or toddler from throwing toys
Redirecting throwing behavior into productive activities helps reduce undesirable actions while fostering motor development. Offering a safe environment like an indoor-play area with soft-play materials, such as colourful balls, allows toddlers to practice throwing safely. Structured games like tossing soft items into a laundry basket or aiming at targets redirect energy while refining gross-motor skills and spatial awareness.
Modeling appropriate behavior reinforces boundaries. Demonstrate that balls and soft objects are for throwing and that toys, utensils, or other items are not suitable. Stay consistent by calmly removing unsuitable items if they’re thrown and praising appropriate throwing activities. Interactive play in child-friendly spaces, such as ball pools, provides engaging alternatives that satisfy their curiosity while promoting sensory exploration and social skills.
Providing supervised access to outdoor or toddler-friendly playgrounds with designated throwing areas supports safe exploration of throwing actions. Occupational-therapy-inspired activities, like beanbag toss or soft-target practice, create purposeful outlets for the behavior, ensuring development and play remain constructive.
Developmental concerns with throwing
Understanding why babies love balls and throw objects helps us better support their growth while addressing any challenges that arise. Throwing is a normal part of development, but it’s essential to guide this behavior constructively. By offering safe, structured environments and engaging activities, we can channel their curiosity and energy into meaningful play.
Providing opportunities for exploration while setting boundaries ensures that their fascination with throwing remains productive. Whether it’s through sensory-rich ball pits, target games, or supervised outdoor play, we can foster their physical, cognitive, and social skills in fun and safe ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are babies so fascinated by balls?
Babies are drawn to balls because they are visually stimulating, easy to manipulate, and encourage exploration. Their bright colours, rolling motion, and variety of textures engage sensory processing and spark curiosity. Balls also provide opportunities for interactive play, which supports early development.
At what age do babies start throwing objects?
Babies typically begin throwing objects around 9 to 10 months when they develop the motor skill of voluntary release. By 16 months, their throws become more deliberate, with overhand throwing emerging first, and underhand throwing developing around 23 to 24 months.
How does playing with balls benefit babies and toddlers?
Playing with balls helps enhance gross-motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness. Activities like rolling, grasping, and tossing balls improve muscle strength, balance, and fine-tune motor abilities. Ball play also supports sensory exploration and cognitive development.
Why do toddlers throw objects?
Toddlers throw objects as part of natural motor skill development and curiosity about cause-and-effect relationships. Throwing also allows them to express emotions like excitement or frustration while strengthening gross-motor skills and balance.
How can I redirect food-throwing behavior in toddlers?
Stay calm and consistent. Use a neutral tone to explain that food is for eating, not throwing. Provide a small bowl for dropping food, reduce portion sizes, and transition to another activity if throwing persists. Offer structured throwing alternatives, like felt balls or soft games.
How do balls help with sensory development?
Different textures, sizes, and colours of balls provide sensory stimulation, improving tactile awareness and visual tracking. Activities like squishing soft balls or watching colourful balls roll help babies link physical actions with sensory input, enhancing sensory processing.
What are safe ways to practice throwing at home?
Use soft-play items like beanbags, felt balls, or foam balls in activities such as aiming at laundry baskets or soft targets. Create a designated play space where toddlers can practice throwing safely under supervision to refine coordination and motor skills.
How does throwing improve motor skills in toddlers?
Throwing activates large muscle groups, strengthening gross-motor skills like arm strength, balance, and stability. Activities like target practice also improve precision, spatial awareness, and coordination, supporting overall physical development.
Can throwing activities help build social skills?
Yes, tossing games encourage interactive play, teaching collaboration, turn-taking, and sharing. Group activities like throwing balls into a shared target help toddlers develop social skills while boosting confidence and fostering friendships.
Are soft-play areas effective for toddler throwing practice?
Absolutely! Soft-play areas with ball pits or foam balls create safe environments for toddlers to practice throwing, refine motor skills, and explore sensory stimulation. These spaces channel their curiosity constructively, combining fun with skill-building activities.