Stop It, Pass It

A back-and-forth foot-passing game where the child stops a rolling ball with the foot and kicks it back, learning to control a ball that is moving.

  1. Stand facing your child about 3 meters apart on flat ground.
  2. Roll or gently pass the ball along the ground toward your child’s feet.
  3. Your child stops the ball by putting the sole of one foot lightly on top of it. Cue: “Squash the bug — gently!”
  4. With the ball still, they step beside it and pass it back along the ground using the inside of the foot — “use the side of your shoe, like a broom.”
  5. You stop it the same way and pass it back. Count the passes that reach each other without anyone having to chase.
  6. After a steady rally of five, each take a step back, or roll the ball slightly to one side so your child has to move to meet it.

Variation: put a gate of two shoes halfway between you that every pass must go through, or play in a triangle with a third person.

Requirements

  • Space: A flat strip about 5–6 meters long and 2 meters wide
  • Surface: Short grass, a paved yard, or a smooth indoor floor with a soft ball; avoid slopes
  • Materials: A soft or slightly deflated ball about 20 cm across; optional two shoes for a gate
  • Participants: 1 adult or older child + 1 child; up to 3–4 in a circle
  • Supervision: Light — the adult is the passing partner

Rationale & Objective

Kicking a still ball is the first step; real play means dealing with a ball that is already moving. Stopping a rolling ball requires the child to track it, predict where it will be, and balance briefly on one leg while the other foot reaches out — a demanding mix of timing and balance. Passing it back to a partner then adds aim and gentle, graded force, the kicking equivalent of the accuracy the PDMS-2 Object Manipulation subtest looks for and of the “kicking, passing… and aiming” named in the UK EYFS guidance for Reception. Using the inside of the foot rather than the toes matches the mature kicking pattern in the TGMD-3 and gives far better direction. Because the game is cooperative — the score only grows if both players send a ball the other can handle — it also builds the confidence that Stodden and colleagues (2008) identify as a link between early motor competence and staying active later.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: the ball rolls past or bounces off the shin; kicks at the moving ball without stopping it; stamps on the ball and wobbles or steps over it
  • Developing: stops a slow, straight ball with the sole most of the time; passes back with the toes, roughly toward the partner
  • Proficient: stops the ball under control, passes with the inside of the foot, and reaches the partner on most tries from 3 meters; keeps a rally of 5 or more passes
  • Advanced: moves sideways to meet an off-line ball; stops and passes with either foot; passes through a narrow gate; begins to pass a slowly rolling ball without stopping it first

Safety Notes

  • Stepping on top of a ball is the main fall risk — teach a light touch with the sole (“rest your foot on it”), never a stamp, and keep the ball slightly soft so it does not roll away underfoot
  • Wear closed shoes with grip; avoid wet grass, loose gravel, and slippery socks on smooth floors
  • Roll the ball gently — a fast ball encourages a wild swing and a missed step
  • Play away from roads and slopes so nobody has to chase a runaway ball
  • Children who fall often, avoid standing on one leg, or seem far behind peers in all ball play may benefit from a conversation with a pediatrician or physiotherapist

Hints

  • Playfulness: the ball is a runaway hedgehog that must be gently caught and sent home, or a parcel being delivered between two post offices
  • Sustain interest: keep a pass-count record; add a gate, a tunnel under a chair, or a bell to hit; invite a third player and pass around a triangle
  • Common mistake: letting the child swing at the moving ball straight away. Insist on “stop first, then pass” until stopping is easy — control comes before speed
  • Limited space: sit on the floor facing each other with legs apart and roll the ball back and forth, stopping it with the feet; or pass a rolled pair of socks along a hallway
  • Cross-domain: count passes or spell a name one letter per pass (numeracy, literacy); call “left” or “right” for which foot to use (body awareness); practice calling a partner’s name before passing (communication)
  • Progression: stop a hand-rolled ball → stop and pass at 3 m → step back to 5 m → pass through a gate → balls rolled to either side → other foot → one-touch pass without stopping

Sources

  • PDMS-2 Object Manipulation subtest — kicking items
  • Ulrich, D.A. (2019), TGMD-3 — kick performance criteria (contact with instep or inside of foot)
  • UK EYFS Development Matters — Reception: refine ball skills including throwing, catching, kicking, passing, batting, and aiming
  • Gallahue, D.L. & Ozmun, J.C. — Understanding Motor Development (kicking and trapping as fundamental manipulative skills)
  • Stodden, D.F. et al. (2008), “A developmental perspective on the role of motor skill competence in physical activity: an emergent relationship,” Quest
  • Barnett, L.M. et al. (2009), “Childhood motor skill proficiency as a predictor of adolescent physical activity,” Journal of Adolescent Health