This activity was a big hit ('scuse the pun)! Eden and I tore sheets of paper out of some catalogues and scrunched them up into balls (both tearing and scrunching help develop important fine motor skills) and stuffed a shopping bag with the paper until full. I tied the bag up and attached some yarn to the handles, and hung it above a doorway. Then, armed with a spatula each, Eden and I batted it back and forth; great for teaching cause and effect and for hand-eye co-ordination.
Other ways to use the bag:
- Kick it around (for younger children) or to set up some 'goals' with a few chairs and play soccer with it
- Tie it to a sturdy overhanging branch outside, just within your child's reach to encourange jumping
- Make a few bags up and cover with a towel/sheet to make a scrunchy bed for toys
- Play hockey with it and a long cardboard cylinder (for the hockey stick)
- Stick a line of masking tape on the floor and get your child to try hitting the bag along the length of the line, from one end to the other
