How To Teach An Overhand Throw To Your Preschooler

By the time a baby turns into a toddler, most of them are well-acquainted with balls and have even attempted to throw them. However, to be gentle, the ball is usually thrown underhand which goes at a slower speed. When is the right time to teach your toddler to throw overhand shots? Let’s look at how you can teach your child to throw the ball overhand in an effective and safe manner.

Toddlers are fearless and ready for anything until parents or caregivers instill fears in them. Teaching your child to throw a ball overhand is best taught at this age so that there is no room for any fear to creep in. Let’s understand how you can teach your child to throw a ball overhand in a way that’s safe for toddlers.

What Is An Overhand Throw?

Overhand throw, also popular as overarm throw, is a skill to throw a ball far to make quick accurate hits or passes. It is most often used while playing ball games, such as basketball. Most kids won’t learn and master overhand throw instinctively, as it involves the right application of force, gauging the distance, and throw at the right height. However, teaching your preschooler various fun, engaging activities can help him master the skill of an overhand throw. Usually, 3 to 5 years is the right age to teach your preschooler this skill as most motor and cognitive skills are developed by then. Read on to learn how.

4 Tricks And Activities To Teach Your Preschooler An Overhand Throw

1. Trick To Learn To Throw a Ball Far

Use footprint markers to guide your preschooler throw the ball to a further distance while using overhand throwing skills.

• Place red footprint marker on the left and yellow footprint marker on the right at a shoulder width apart on the ground.
• Place another red footprint marker in front of the initial red marker.
• Instruct your preschooler to stand on the pair of footprints that are shoulder distance apart by keeping left leg on the red marker and right leg on the yellow marker.
• Then, guide your kid to step his left leg forward on the another red footprint marker placed in front of it while keeping his right leg behind on the yellow marker, and throw the ball far by an overhand throw.

2. Trick To Learn Overhead Throw With The Right Force

• Place red and yellow footprints at a shoulder width apart as well as place a cone in line with the footprints. If your child is going to learn overhand throw with the right hand, place the cone in line next to the yellow footprint which is at right. If your kid will be throwing the ball with his left hand, place the cone in line next to the red footprint.
• Instruct your preschooler to stand on the footprints, such as left leg on red footprint and right leg on yellow print.
• Guide your kid to turn from his waist and make his belly button face the cone at the moment when he is swinging his hand backwards, before throwing the ball.
• Finally, get him to rotate his face and body to the targeted direction of the throw and launch the ball with the right force.

3. Trick To Learn Overhand Throw At The Right Height

• Set up a screen or net at a height which is about your preschooler’s height.
• Make your kid stand a good distance away from the net.
• Guide your preschooler to throw the ball over the net.
• Now, make your preschooler stand a greater distance away from the net and throw ball over the line.
• Gradually, increase the distance between the net and your kid and this will help increase your kid’s throw height significantly.

4. Hit The Targets Activity

Now that your preschooler has learnt overhand throw by applying the right force, reaching the right distance, and at the right height, you can hone his overarm throwing skills by engaging him in this fun activity.

• Make your child stand in the throwing area.
• Use several plastic bottles or cans as targets and arrange them at different distances away from the throwing sector.
• Give your preschooler a wet tennis ball.
• Tell your child to use his overhand throw skills and hit the plastic bottles with the ball.
• Count how many throws your preschooler needs to hit 30 targets.
• Encourage him to hit 30 targets in 30 throws.

Did you teach your preschooler master overhand throw by using any engaging tricks? Share your tricks and knowledge with other moms by leaving a comment below.