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Practice games

Knee-High Defender

The child defends a cushion goal while a kneeling grown-up rolls the ball slowly.

At home 5 min 2 players Indoors Garden With a grown-up Under 5s and 2018 to 2021

Brave 1v1 Be brave

At a glance

  • A cushion is the goal. You kneel a few steps away with the ball, and your child stands in front of the cushion.
  • Roll the ball slowly with your hands towards the cushion.
  • Your child stays on their feet, side-on, and stops the ball with a foot.
  • Swap after 5 goes.
  • Progress 1: Roll a little faster, to the left or right of the cushion, so your child has to move.
  • Progress 2: Pretend to roll one way, then roll the other way.

If it's not working: Kneel two steps further back so there is more time to get side-on.

Knee-High Defender: set-upcushionG1231 roll it slowly, 2 side-on,3 stop it with a foot.
  • your child
  • Ggrown-up
  • throw or roll
  • 1in this order

A cushion on the floor is the goal. You kneel a few steps away and roll the ball slowly towards it with your hands. Your child stands in front of the cushion, side-on and on their feet, and stops the ball with a foot.

Full details: set up, how to play, tips

Set up

  • Put a cushion down as the goal. You kneel a few steps away with the ball.

Living room or garden.

How to play

  • You kneel and roll the ball slowly with your hands towards the cushion.
  • Your child is the defender.
  • They stay on their feet, side-on.
  • They stop the ball with a foot.
  • Swap after 5 goes.

Make it easier

  • Kneel two steps further back so there is more time to get side-on.
  • Say Rolling! as you let go, so your child knows it is coming.

Make it harder, step by step

  1. Roll a little faster, to the left or right of the cushion, so your child has to move.
  2. Pretend to roll one way, then roll the other way.

Three things to say

  • Side-on, on your toes, stop it with a foot.

Colts habit

Be brave: get in the way.

Both feet

Stop it with either foot.

Heads up

Watch the hands, not the floor.

For your birth year

Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.

Under 5s
Roll it very slowly straight at them and skip the side-on part. Stop it with hands first, then a foot on top.

Safety: Stay on your knees, go slowly, keep space around the furniture.

My best

Stops out of 5. Last time and this time. Only ever compared with their own earlier go, never with anyone else's. Saved on this device only.