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Physical Education

Roll and Stop

Overview

Children roll a ball to knock down or hit a target, developing aim and control.

Learning Objective
Children develop aiming skills by rolling a ball to a target.

Resources needed

  • Ball or round stone
  • Targets (bottles, stones, sticks standing up)

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Set up simple targets: stones or sticks standing upright.
  2. 2 Children take turns rolling the ball to knock them down.
  3. 3 Start close — about 2 metres away.
  4. 4 Move further back as children improve.
  5. 5 Count how many targets are knocked down.
  6. 6 Reset and try again.
  7. 7 Try rolling with the non-dominant hand.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Roll through a gap between two stones.
  • Roll up a slope.
  • Time how long the ball takes to reach the target.
More information

Teach: roll, aim, hit, miss, closer, further. Demonstrate the rolling action — bend the knee, swing the arm low.

Use a larger ball or bring the target closer. Seated rolling is also possible.

Are children aiming before releasing? Do they follow through with their arm toward the target?

Any round object works as a ball. Bottles filled with a little soil or stones standing upright make free targets.

Children often throw rather than roll. Keep reminding them the ball must stay on the ground.

Rolling and aiming are foundation skills for bowls, bocce, and many team sports.

Activity details
Early Years Easy 15 minutes 5 minutes prep Pairs, Small Group Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Rolling Aiming Hand-eye Coordination