How to Play Catch With a Small Child

1. Buy small youth baseball glove, gray and pink (too big for 5 year-old but big enough to use for next 3 years)

2. Search for old glove. High. Low. Medium. No glove.

3. Borrow glove from friend.

4. Try using tennis ball. Too bouncy.

5. Child has trouble tracking ball. Hand-eye coordination missing?

6. Use gray dryer ball. Soft but heavy enough to throw. Size slightly bigger than baseball, smaller than softball.

7. Teach child how to hold glove open.

8. Stand 6–8 feet away. Throw ball underhand. Miss. Repeat. Miss. Repeat. Miss. Frustrations. Deep breaths. Child spots airplane at least a thousand feet up. Recognizes colors. “Think its Southwest.” (Clearly vision not a problem).

9. Teach child to take small step with left foot and then throw with right.

10. Repeat left foot instruction 235 times in patient, slightly cheerful tone over one-year period. Child prefers sidearm bend and hop throw.

11. Stand 4 feet apart. Show child how to hold glove open in front of belly, so the ball will bounce off chest (backboard) and land in glove.

12. Softly throw dryer ball underhand with nice arc.

13. Success.

14. Repeat with encouragement.