Let's get the ball rolling...

Most kids love playing with balls - big bouncy balls, soft squishy balls, spiky ones, balls in the bath, balls in the garden, there are so many options!

Here are three songs to add to your ball rolling games:

1. I roll the ball

This is a sweet song to encourage a simple game of rolling the ball to and fro. Try pausing after you’ve rolled the ball to your little one… ‘I roll the ball to baby*’. When they (finally) decide to roll it back, sing the next line… ‘she rolls it back to me’. Once they figure out that they have control, they will delight in the game!

* use your child’s name here to make it extra special

“I roll the ball to baby, she rolls it back to me
I roll the ball to baby, she rolls it back to me
Roll the ball, roll the ball
Roll the ball, roll the ball
I roll the ball to baby, she rolls it back to me”

2. Roll that round ball

Try this one to encourage crawling or (later) walking or (even later still) running. Roll the ball away from your child and encourage them to chase after it. Start with little rolls so they can easily make it to the ball, then slowly send the ball further and further away as they gain confidence with their crawling or walking.

“Roll that round ball down to town
Roll that round ball down to town
Roll that round ball down to town
Roll that round ball down to town”

3. En roulant

Said to have originated in the fifteenth century, this is the chorus of a French-Canadian folksong. There are many versions of the story told in the verses but the chorus can be loosely translated as ‘let’s get the ball rolling’.

“En roulant, ma boule roulant
En roulant, ma boule”

Listen to this version for an authentic French accent!

PS Of course, while your kids are playing with all these balls, they’ll be developing their eye tracking, their finger muscles, hand-eye co-ordination and balance. But don’t tell them, they’ll just think they’re having fun!