Three Ball Toss

Get three balls or beanbags to use that can easily be thrown (or rolled) and caught by the participants. Invite students to stand (if throwing) or sit (if rolling) in a circle. Introduce the activity: our goal is to successfully pass this ball to each person in our group. To do this we will make eye contact with someone else, say that person’s name, and throw (roll) the ball using a gentle motion so the other person can catch it. We will do this until every person has had the ball once. Then it returns to me. Any questions? Play a round to establish the pattern. If students can’t remember who hasn’t had the ball yet, invite those waiting a turn to raise a hand. Once the full round is done ask everyone to point to the person who threw the ball/bag to him/her. Then, ask everyone to point to the person they threw the ball/bag to in the circle. After this review, start with the first person and repeat the toss pattern exactly as it was done before; rehearse this pattern until students can move through the full cycle with speed. Once the group is comfortable, add the second ball, a few seconds after the first, to follow in the same pattern or a new pattern. Finally, add a third ball/bag in the same pattern or a new pattern.