Monday, August 1, 2011

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 26: Basket Ball

When Oliver was still crawling, I used to play a version of basketball with him. I'd set out our laundry basket, and I'd toss a ball (usually his stuffed soccer ball, but sometimes his foam baseball) about 5-10 feet away. He'd crawl after it as fast as he could, and he'd crawl back and dump it in the basket.

We hadn't played it for months. This morning, I was looking at the laundry basket, and I remembered playing that game. I wondered what it would be like now that he's older and running around. I mistakenly used Oliver's bowling ball. Once Oliver saw it, he insisted on playing Monster Bowling. It's pretty cute to watch him bowl. I set up all the pins, and he holds onto the monster ball and whacks all the pins down with it. Once they're all down, I yell, "Strike!" He can play that game over and over. I was able to convince him to play a few games of "basket ball," but he kept wanting to go back to bowling.

I'm not sure what he's doing here:

Fast forward a few hours, and I decide to try to play "basket ball" with Oliver again. This time, I use his stuffed soccer ball. Oliver plays the game this time, but insists on climbing into the laundry basket himself. After a while, he doesn't bother to get out. I throw the ball in, and he throws it out. He enjoys yelling, "In!" and "Out!" each time. We play for a good fifteen minutes.

Basket ball is fun, even if it doesn't turn out as planned. Oliver enjoys the interaction with me and seems to enjoy practicing his words as we play. There's a risk that comes with letting him climb into the laundry basket, though. Any time he leans over, the basket tips. It's definitely not a good idea to play it near sharp corners. I have a feeling this game will get more and more fun in time. I give it an A-.

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