TinyStepper
Child running across a grassy field with arms stretched like aeroplane wings

Throw It Here, Not There

Create a 'YES throw' zone and a 'NO throw' zone on the floor — teaching throwing rules through clear, visual boundaries.

Activity details

18m–3y10 minsmediumbothBallsBasket or BinCushionsMasking Tape

Instructions

Get ready
  • Use masking tape to mark two clear zones on the floor
  • Label one 'YES' (draw a tick or smiley face on tape) and one 'NO' (draw a cross)
  1. Use masking tape to mark two clear zones on the floor
  2. Label one 'YES' (draw a tick or smiley face on tape) and one 'NO' (draw a cross)
  3. Fill the YES zone with soft balls, beanbags, and a target basket
  4. Place books, cups, and toys in the NO zone
  5. Demonstrate: 'Balls are for throwing! Watch — into the basket!'
  6. Demonstrate: 'Books are for reading — we put them down gently like this'
  7. Let your toddler practise both: throwing in the YES zone, placing gently in the NO zone
  8. Celebrate both actions equally: 'Great throw! And such gentle hands with the book!'

Parent tip

Set out balls and basket or bin before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Child smiling on a cushion after active play with a ball and scattered cushions nearby

What success looks like

Flushed cheeks, big smiles, and a calmer child afterwards. If they want to do it again, you’ve found a winner.

Use masking tape to mark two zones on the floor. The 'YES' zone has a basket, cushions, and soft balls — throwing is celebrated here. The 'NO' zone has books, cups, and toys — these are placed gently. Practise together: 'Balls go in the YES zone — throw!' Then: 'Books live in the NO zone — we put them gently.' This concrete, visual rule system works because toddlers think in absolutes. Instead of the abstract 'don't throw things,' they learn a physical, repeatable rule they can see.

Why it helps

NHS Best Start in Life recommends practising throwing, catching and kicking a ball as simple activities that teach coordination, balance and agility. Toddlers learn rules best when they are concrete, visual, and consistent. Abstract rules like 'don't throw' are cognitively impossible to follow because they suppress a natural motor urge without offering an alternative. This activity leverages categorical thinking — a cognitive skill developing rapidly between 18 and 36 months — by teaching 'what to throw' rather than 'not to throw,' which aligns with how the developing prefrontal cortex processes rules.

Variations

  • Move the zones around the house — YES zone in the garden, NO zone in the living room.
  • Let your toddler sort new objects: 'Is this a throwing thing or a gentle thing?'
  • Add a 'rolling' zone as a third category for items that can be rolled but not thrown.

Safety tips

  • Ensure all items in the YES zone are genuinely safe to throw — nothing hard, sharp, or heavy.
  • Supervise to prevent objects migrating between zones.
  • Keep the NO zone items unbreakable at first — mugs and glasses can be added as a concept once the rule is established.

Want to try another?

Action Song Stories

Get weekly activity ideas for your toddler

One email a week with practical toddler activities, behaviour tips, and developmental insights. No spam, unsubscribe any time.